The Angels Waited
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Psalm 31:24 KJV
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Isaiah 40:29-31 NKJV
He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 27:13,14 KJV
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 116:7-9 NASB
Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living.
One would expect that Christians would be especially joyful and excited at this time of year! After all a child is soon to be born! He shall be called Emmanuel -- God With Us! He will grow to be a king and savior of the world. Halleluiah! How exciting! After all the waiting and hoping and yearning, the time is finally here!
I have shared before that I love Christmas! I so enjoy seeing all the decorations and lights strung on houses and trees! Our church is preparing for our annual “Living Christmas Story” this weekend with over 60 cast members participating. We’ve had cookie decorating parties and there will be a birthday party for Jesus, and numerous mission opportunities this Christmas season. Christmas is, after all, about the giving.
This morning after I poured my second cup of coffee and stirred the meatballs I’m taking to work for our Christmas luncheon, I admired the gold streaked sunrise from the kitchen window. And when I had finished stirring and taste-testing I came back to the computer to see from another window the now-pink sky. I thought about walking before the Lord and renewing my strength in Him. After all, the “extra” activities are wonderful and fun and even important! But even better is resting in my Savior. Believing in the promise of a birthing cry by a tiny baby. Of a woman who obeyed and a man who honored her.
I dream of a day when the whole of creation dwells with the Lord. Notice the all-caps LORD in these passages. They’re talking about THE LORD here. The Real God, the True Deity. The most holy of holy. He’s strong enough to allow us to rest in him and on him. He blessed us with redemption and keeps us for his own until the second coming. That tiny baby will be a mighty warrior then--waging war against the powers that vie for our hearts and our souls.
I pray that in the meantime, we don’t wear ourselves with the things of this world. I hope we can pick and choose one or two important ways to celebrate and honor the God who came to earth. The God who lived among us and died for us and waits for us in heaven. Well, I have an assortment of baked goods to assemble before I leave for work this morning! So I had better end my devotion!
I’ll be praying for you today as you prepare and wait for THE BIG DAY that is just a few days away. I hope today you take some time to breathe in, and then out, and imagine a young girl awaiting a birth, the man who hovered over her and the angels who waited to announce the joyous news. And that you remember the real reason for this season.
Mary
