THE LONGING

Luke 2:25-35

He would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Luke 2:26

Look at the people around you: the shoppers walking the malls hunting for last-minute Christmas gifts, the enthusiastic fans at football and basketball games, fellow employees in the workplace. Do you think they’ve found happiness?

As people rush through life — hurrying from paycheck to payment and from job to home and then doing it all over again — many of them feel empty inside. They long for something to make their existence more meaningful and fulfilling.

Unlike Simeon, whom we read about in Luke, chapter 2, many people don’t know what will bring  happiness. The Holy Spirit had told Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the promised Messiah. When that extroardinary day came and Simeon came to the temple to meet Jesus, peace and contentment were guaranteed.

All around us are people who could have that same peace and contentment if they could just meet Jesus. As we see the crowds each day, we should be reminded to pray that the Holy Spirit will touch their hearts and make them want to see Jesus. They may be rushing around, but in their hearts they have a void waiting to be filled by the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. —jdb

Now none but Christ can satisfy, none other name for me; there’s love and life and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, found in Thee. —McGranahan

There is a longing in every heart that only Jesus can satisfy.

GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS

Romans 5:1-8

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

It’s coming — very confusing time of year for many people: Christmas. Although it’s supposed to be a time of peace and joy, some consider it the most depressing. A counselor friend of mine mentioned that he sees more people during the Christmas holidays than at any other time.

Apparently, not everyone experiences the much-talked-about joy of the season. One’s own bad feelings contrasted with others’ good times can make life seem doubly depressing.

If that happens to you, if you’re down when others are up, you’ll find Paul’s words in Romans 5 helpful. He said we can have:

• Peace (verse 1). Faith in Jesus brings the most important source of comfort: strong fellowship with God.
• Hope (verse 2). Loss of hope is always a problem for those who are down. There can be no better hope than a future spent with God — and that’s the promise.
• Joy (verses 3-4). The bad we endure is not purposeless. God’s plan is being carried out, and our troubles will make us the kind of people God can use.

Even when things look bad, no one or no event can take away the promise of peace,  hope, and joy. That can make any season a joyful one. —jdb

The hope we have in Jesus Christ brings joy into our heart; and when we know the love of God, His peace He will impart. —sper

If you’re looking for peace, hope, and joy this Christmas, look to God.

PEACE IN THE STORM

Isaiah 26:1-4

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3

Life can seem unbearable at times. Physical pain, difficult decisions, financial hardships, the death of a loved one, or shattered dreams threaten to engulf us. We become fearful and perplexed. Plagued by doubts, we may even find it difficult to pray.

Those of us who know the Lord through personal faith in Christ have in Him a calm retreat in the storms of life, even while the howling winds of trial are sweeping over us. We can experience peace of mind and calmness of spirit.

Richard Fuller, a 19th-century minister, told of an old seaman who said “In fierce storms, we mus tput the ship in a certain position and keep her there.” Said Fuller, “This, Christian, is what you must do. . . . You must put your soul in one position and keep it there. You must stay upon the Lord; and, come what may — winds, waves, cross seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers — no matter what, ou must hold fast your confidence in God’s faithfulness and His everlasting love in Christ Jesus.”

Do you feel overwhelmed by your troubles? Learn a lesson from that old sailor. Fix your mind on the Lord. Ask for His help. Then trust Him to give you peace in your storm (Philippians 4:6-7). —richard de haan

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest — finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest. —havergal

The secret of peace is to give every anxious care to God.

GOD ABOVE THE STORM

Psalm 29

The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. Psalm 29:4

As a boy, I was fascinated by the sights and sounds of a storm. They always made me think of God. In the roar of the thunder, I imagined I was hearing His chariots rumbling through the sky. In the flashes of lightning, I felt a sense of awe mingled with fear and trust.

When I was a seminary student, my wife and I used to take a drive when we saw a storm approaching so that we could experience its wonder more vividly. I am less adventurous today,  but storms still make me think about God’s majesty and power.

Psalm 29 describes a violent storm as it sweeps in over the Mediterranean, swoops down the mountain ranges, rushes through the wilderness, and pours out its refreshing rain upon the land. Towering over the scene is God. The elements of the squall are described as the “voice of the Lord.”

The psalm closes by assuring us that the God who was in control when He sent the flood in judgment is also in control when the rain comes as a blessing. Through it all, He is working to give strength and peace to His people. The powerful, majestic God behind the storm has our eventual good in mind, and He will achieve His goal. Isn’t it comforting to know that this God loves and cares for us! —hvl

The lightning of a summer storm, it’s thunder roaring in reply, reveal to us an awesome God whose power we cannot deny. —sper

We experience peace —not panic— when we trust the power of God.

WORTH REMEMBERING

Psalm 126

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad. . . Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:3-5

I heard Chuck Colson say in a television interview that he would never forget the joy and peace he felt when he surrendered to Jesus Christ.

Many of us can remember times when we were ecstatic because the Lord had met our need in a remarkable way. We often refer to such times as mountaintop experiences.

Life, however, is also marked by dark and difficult valleys. At such times we can encourage ourselves by reflecting on the past and letting our mountaintop experiences be a reason to look ahead with confidence. They can reassure us that God who helped us then will not fail us now.

We saw that in today’s Scripture reading. After recounting the joy the Israelites felt when God miraculously delivered them, the psalmist asked God to be merciful again.

In so doing, he used two images to express his expectation of blessing. The first metaphor was of dry gullies in the desert that suddenly became torrents during a downpour (Psalm 126:4). The second was of fruit that develops slowly and quietly as the result of earnest sowing and reaping (verses 5-6)

God’s past faithfulness assures us that He will meet our future needs. That’s worth remembering. —vl

O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal? —watts

The better our memory, the better our praise.

PEACE IN A WORLD OF TURMOIL

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

When we look at the world news, our hearts tend to get frightened. So much unrest, violence, fear! Jesus predicted it would be this way. “In this world you will have trouble,” He said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

How can we as Christians make a difference in our world? Paul gives us some practical steps in Colossians 4:2: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1. Devote yourselves to prayer for your families, church leaders, and governments. Is there a friend or neighbor you could team up with for prayer on a weekly basis?

2 Being watchful–instead of looking at the problems, keep your eyes on Jesus. As long as Peter kept looking at the Lord Jesus, he walked on water. The moment he focused on the waves, he began to sink. Readjusting our focus may mean cutting back on news watching. Smile.

3. Be thankful for your blessings–for the things that are going right. Write them down in a gratitude journal. Pray them out loud in thanksgiving.

No matter what happens in the world, Jesus Christ is still the victorious One and Our Sovereign Lord. “I know that you can do all things,” says Job. “No plan of yours can be thwarted.” ( Job 42:2 )

Remembering this, we can have the peace Jesus spoke about.

What steps can you take to put your heart at ease about the future?

GOD OF HOPE

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

When I was facing great difficulties, some well – meaning Christian friends reprimanded me for voicing my doubts and struggles. “You’re a Christian, therefore you must speak hope. Speak victory. Speak positive words. You get what you speak.”

Did their well – meaning advice help me? No, it added to my misery by making me feel guilty for feeling the way I did. Not wanting their condemnation, I learned to hide my pain.

Of course, my friends were right in reminding me of the hope we have as Christians. But, like so many of us, they seemed to think that hope can be whipped up by sheer self – effort. But I learned that hope is not a psyched – up feeling, not a kind of positive thinking, not even a learned coping mechanism.

Hope originates with God Himself. He is the God of hope who fills us with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we come to him and yield ourselves to him, he infuses us with hope. How?

Think of a cup of tea. By placing a tea bag into a cup of boiling water, the water gets colored. Right? Likewise, when the God of hope is invited into a situation, he colors your emotions. He infuses strength and hope into you. His hope becomes part of your thinking.

What a burden this takes off your shoulders. You no longer condemn yourself for having struggles. You no longer look to your own strength but to God’s strength. There’s a quiet confidence that comes from knowing it’s not up to you.

What is my part in the equation? To yield myself to God. “Father,” I would pray, “I open myself to you now. Please infuse me with your hope.”

Hope would come to me as I’d read the Bible; a Scripture would light up and become God’s personal message to me that day. I have many such dated verses. Or a song would come to mind again and again. Or I’d receive a letter or a phone call with encouraging words.

Sometimes, as I’d go about my day, warm hopeful thoughts would come to me like: You will not stay in this valley forever. You’re meant to pass through it. God and you are in this together.

Our hope begins and ends with God. It’s by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can remain hopeful in the midst of great difficulties.

Have you ever felt the need to put on a hopeful facade when you were really feeling just the opposite?

WE ARE DESPERATE FOR YOU

“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 4:1, NASB

Lord, we’re desperate for you. We’re bunched up in confusion, moving by impulse and fear, flitting here and there like a frenzied flock caught in the wilderness of the far country.

We are here! We are here! And we know you hear. You’ve heard us before; you’ve swept in and saved us from our hopeless paralysis.

Do it again, O, Holy One; how long must we wait?

And we hear you say, “Yes, how long? How long must I wait while you wear my grace and peace like a cheap cloak from a secondhand store?”

Oh God, I hear your heart. You set me apart; yet, I joined the crowd — like birds of a feather.

From now on, Abba, when the swirl and twirl shoves at me, instead of taking to panicked wings; I’ll let you quiet my soul.

“I am ready now; I am willing now to be swept under the safety of your wings, as a hen gathers her chicks.” (Matthew 23:37, NKJV)

Does this prayer sound like one you’ve prayed recently? What about sometime in the past?

THE BIRTH OF JESUS

Luke 2:1-20

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

What stands out most to you about Jesus’ birth narrative? Praise God today for the birth of Jesus, the Son of God!

OPPORTUNITIES TO PRAY

What would happen if we viewed the variety of things we encounter each day as opportunities to pray?

For example, whenever I pick up my son from high school, I see teenagers dressed provocatively or defiantly, lighting up cigarettes and clinging to each other. And if the window happens to be down, the language that filters in sometimes makes me cringe.

My natural inclination is to rail against parents who tolerate that kind of behavior and kids who show little or no respect.

Yet, God knew ahead of time that I would to be waiting on that particular day, at that exact time, to see those specific kids. Therefore I can consider it a summons from God to pray for those hurting children who are crying out for love and attention.

Every day is packed with opportunities to pray, if only we would take them.

Stepping out the front door into a warm sunny day is a chance to thank God for His marvelous creation.

Reading the newspaper each morning provides a myriad of opportunities to pray for lives that are in crisis, for peace in our land, and for wisdom for world leaders.

Every siren wail is an invitation to pray for God’s intervention in the lives connected with that disturbing sound.

Even menial or monotonous tasks, like scrubbing toilets or paying bills, are chances to thank God for His provision in our lives.

The Bible says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)

~God, thank you for the many opportunities and reminders to pray that You give me throughout the day. May I be faithful in responding to You.

How can viewing even distressing situations as opportunities to pray change the way we think? What opportunities to pray have been presented to you today?