A Sigh of Relief
Follow The Star
SHARON W. BETTERS
TODAY’S TREASURE
The baby is born, mother and father breathe a sigh of relief and revel in the glory of this newborn son, wrapping Him in “swaddling clothes”, and placing Him in a manger, in a stable. They named Him Jesus as the angel instructed, remembering the words of the angel, that “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and that the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.”
But while they may have been soaking up this private moment, that pesky angel was stirring up trouble on the other side of town! Talk about stress, those poor shepherds – the sky broke open with what must have felt like lightning and thunder unlike anything they had ever experienced – they were “sore afraid!” Which means, TERRIFIED!
I bet they were! In response to the angel’s declaration that Christ the Lord had been born, they rush to the manger to worship Jesus.
Roller Coaster Emotions
Have you ever been on such an emotional roller coaster, where one minute you are flying high with joy, and then suddenly, the bottom drops out of the moment? I wonder if Mary and Joseph were so emotionally exhausted by the highs and lows of the birth of Jesus, including this unexpected visit by shepherds, of all people, that instead of returning home to Nazareth, they decided to stay in Bethlehem for a while. Maybe they just needed some alone time to create a home without the whispers and public humiliation that might have come their way because of this supernatural pregnancy.
All is Calm, But Not in Bethlehem
Just about the time life must have settled into a fine routine, and baby Jesus was growing into a sweet little boy, wise men show up to worship Jesus. Well, that’s a wonderful event, yes? But after their visit, an angel wakes up Joseph in the middle of the night and tells him that the murderous King Herod is searching for baby Jesus so that he can kill Him. He orders Joseph to pack up his little family and get out of town, to run to Egypt, where they will be safe. So in the middle of the night, Joseph wakes the sleeping child, and his mother, Mary, packs their belongings and sneaks out of Bethlehem in the darkness of the night.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
When I dig into this not so calm but rather chaotic birth of our Savior, I conclude the circumstances of His birth could only be orchestrated by the sovereign love of God. Scripture tells us that in the fullness of time, Jesus came, fully God, fully man, to live the perfect life with the cross on the horizon. Nothing could stop God's plan to redeem His people, and His fingerprints are all over every detail.
Study the story, and you will see incident after incident of circumstances coming together at just the right moment for God’s plan to take place. What may have seemed like chaos to the participants was actually God putting each piece into a perfect puzzle that would forever change the world.
Perhaps the disruptions in my life can be viewed through that same grid. God is always up to something more than I can see going on in my life or the lives of those I love. So when those stress levels start rising, whatever the cause, the Christmas story reminds me my circumstances are my platform for glorifying God. And in that glorifying is the joy of His presence. It is a comfort to know that while I don't have a lot of control over many of those disruptions, I can choose how to respond to the chaos. The more I choose to react in the confidence that God's message to Mary and to Joseph, that they didn't have to fear because the Lord was with them, the more I sense my gripped fists opening up to receive grace to cooperate with God's eternal purposes.
So as your Christmas stress level rises, step back, take a deep breath, and remember, someone else walked this way by faith before you. Ask Jesus how your response can reflect His presence in you. Some day, I hope to sit at Mary's feet and tell her how her faith response to the words of the angel changed the course of my life in ways I can't even describe. Maybe our response to stressful news and chaotic circumstances will impact another life with the same eternal perspective that will enable them to walk by faith when their world is turned upside down.
Click to subscribe to Daily Treasure and each day you will receive this devotional in your email inbox every day. It will include other information about free resources designed to offer help and hope as we journey life together.
PRAYER
Oh Father, give us wisdom to know when to stop, sit, take deep breaths in and out – and whisper the words of Your promises.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.