Advent Reading In His Word December 15-2020
Ten days and counting! Is the excitement of Christmas filling
your home or place of work? Or are you cast down and feeling sad because things
are changing up? Change can be good; it can make us grow though and that
sometimes causes growing pains.
When God changes things in us, our very being is affected. Tears
can well up and we can get all extra emotional and people just won’t understand
what we are going through, but we can cry out to God for he gets us! Then we
can rejoice, tear up, sing praises and shout for joy, as God changes us on the
inside!
David cried out to
God as we can read in many of the Psalms, he was in depth of sorrow and agony
many times and yet God pulled him up and dusted him off that he could go on
serving Him.
I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to
me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die. Listen to my prayer
for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy
sanctuary. Praise the Lord! For he has
heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with
all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in
songs of thanksgiving. The Lord gives his people strength. Psalm 28:1-9
I have found that when I am afraid, I trust in Him but when I
am just feeling sorrow or emotions I do not always reach out for His comfort.
Perhaps it is because I think I can handle this but I found in many Psalms that
we are to reach out to our God to comfort us! His Word can encourage us like no
other can.
Another thing I have found is when I sing praise with my
whole being, I feel the joy unspeakable I keep talking about! When I sing a
praise and worship song with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength the love of
the Lord within me sings out as well. It rejuvenates me and brings me out of
the pit into the sunshine.
The Word says, ‘my God shall supply all my needs according
to His riches in glory’, that is not just physical needs but emotional, spiritual,
and even mental needs! Philippians 4:19. He will find a way to change our damaged
thoughts and heal them just like He will our bodies. Sometimes it takes a doctor’s
instructions, and sometimes it takes follow-through, but even the spiritual
healings take this! We need to keep our focus in the right place! Thank God,
and think on these things; whatever is good, pure, healthful, kind, loving,
happy, joyful, of God. When I keep my focus on God, I can straighten my
attitude, or feel my heart soar instead of sink!
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at
hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever
things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things
which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God
of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:5-9
I often have wondered how Mary felt as she had to have her
first born, the child of God, born in a stable.
This could not have been a common thing at this time in history, but
obviously we have come quite far for accommodations for childbirth. Still, we
know that she was a woman of pure heart and humble before the Lord so we can expect
that she took it in stride. She laid him in a manger bed, all snuggly wrapped,
so we know she was prepared for this birth to come.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be
born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of
cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for
them. Luke 2:6-7
If Mary can birth in a barn, I think we can shelter in
place, or whatever we are given to walk through today. Maybe your mud is thicker
than mine, but our God can pull us out of it regardless. He can give us hope,
peace, and joy regardless of our circumstances… In Jesus’ name