This is the
season of Advent, when Christians worldwide anticipate the celebration of the
first coming of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem.
On the night He was born, an angel announced His coming to lowly and
now terrified shepherds, watching over their flocks on the hillside, with the
words:
“Do not be afraid, I bring
you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been
born to you; He is Christ, the Lord. This
will be a sign to you. You will find a
baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Suddenly, a great company of the
heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” The Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 10-14
The
shepherds couldn’t wait to get there to see Jesus, their promised Messiah
(Savior) for themselves.
I was
reminded today in a number of ways that it doesn’t take a special announcement
by one angel, or a host of them, to know the reality of the living Jesus and to SEE Him today. The Jesus of Bethlehem, the Jesus of the
cross of Calvary, THIS Jesus still lives today and if we are willing to look with spiritual eyes, He’ll
reveal Himself in big ways and small.
For the last
six weeks or so I’ve been teaching a series of lessons on the life of Abraham
from the book of Genesis. In chapters 12-15,
the Lord had given Abraham innumerable promises.
· The Lord would make him into a great nation
· The Lord would bless him and make his name great
· Abraham would be a blessing
· All people on earth would be blessed through him
· The Lord would multiply his descendants like the sand on the seashore and the stars of the sky – too numerable to even count
· He gave him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, from the river Egypt to the Euphrates, as an everlasting possession
· He promised that Abraham would have a son from his own body through which these promises would be passed to future generations
Throughout that time of waiting for the promises to be fulfilled, Abraham’s
wife Sarah had been unable to have children. Abraham and Sarah became impatient for this
promised son and so Sarah gave Abraham her maid as a wife, following the custom
of their day, so that this maid might have children for HER.
The maid conceived and bore to Abraham a son
whom the Lord named Ishmael, but this was not the son the Lord promised, not
the one through whom the blessings of God’s promises would be realized. That son would be born through the supernatural working of the Lord, in a "good as dead" as far as conception was concerned, Abraham and Sarah.
Finally the
Lord appeared to Abraham again and said that he and his wife Sarah would have a
son whom they should name Isaac. Abraham
must have been both overjoyed and sorrowful at the news, for by this time Ishmael was 13
years old and had been Abraham’s only son.
Having some longings of my own for my children, my heart went out to
Abraham when he said this to the Lord in Genesis 17:18:
“If only Ishmael might
live under your blessing.”
If you’re a
parent, you understand how Abraham feels.
I have prayed long – years – for those I love to come to faith in the
Lord. Maybe you have too. And yet they have not yet come. Sometimes I find myself grieving over the fact
that I have spent so much of my believing life teaching others about Jesus and
encouraging their faith while those I love don’t seem interested at all.
I love what
the Lord says a little later in this same passage, because it brings such consolation
to my heart. Verse 20 of chapter 17:
“As for Ishmael, I have
heard you: I will surely bless him.”
The Lord
HEARD Abraham's heart regarding Ishmael, as He hears your heart cry and mine for those we love. Our prayers and longings are not falling on
deaf ears, even when we can't see what the Lord is doing.
Recently, I
began praying differently for those I love.
I began praying as Abraham prayed.
“If only you would work in THIS
loves one’s life Lord.” And, “How long O Lord, before just one of these
loved ones comes to know you?”
And I
reminded myself that the Lord says to me exactly what He said to Abraham, “I have heard you, Dot, I have heard you.”
Last week my
husband made his weekly call to his 91 year old mom in California. She told him something about a nephew who had
called her. She wasn’t used to hearing
from this young man on a regular basis, so his call took her by surprise. But what really surprised her, and what she
related to Jim, is that this young man, “got religion”, as she described it. When Jim told me, we were both puzzled and
wondered about it ourselves. And the curiosity was killing me!
So this week
I contacted him, and today he phoned. Before
he even described what had happened to him, I could hear a change in his
voice. I recognized the emotion, having
felt it many times myself. It was JOY. He began describing new priorities – like thinking
less about himself and more about God. And
going to church and reading the Bible, discussing doctrine with
friends, and having accountability partners!
I had only
one critical question for him: What
about Jesus, what do you believe about Jesus? In answer, he told me all the wonderful things I hoped to hear! He realized that he was a sinner and that
Jesus had died for his sins and he had received Him into his heart and
life. I recognized the transforming
power of the Holy Spirit in this young man’s life! He is a new man!
Jesus came
into the world a long time ago for the first time and his coming was revealed
to lowly shepherds. The world has never
been the same.
But Jesus
still lives and He still comes into lives in the here and now, revealing
himself in big ways and small. My nephew now knows the reality
of the living Jesus for himself.
And Jesus has
blessed MY heart as well, by reminding me of His love. He has spoken the words, “I have heard you,
Dot”, to MY heart and given my faith in His faithfulness in answering prayer, and His power to yet change the lives of others I love, a HUGE boost.
Along with Christians all over the world, I am
joyfully anticipating the celebration of Jesus birth in a manger more than 2000
years ago. It was a birth that changed the world forever.
I am joyfully anticipating the second coming of Jesus too, about which the Bible also
speaks. I long for the day when I see Him coming in the clouds and will finally look upon Him face to face. What a day that will be!
In the meantime, I am overjoyed that He still
comes. . . into hearts and into lives, and He leaves them forever changed.
Thank you so much Lord for showing me Your Glory today and for encouraging my so small faith.
Even so,
come Lord Jesus!
