MERRY CHRISTMAS !
I hope you are all having an amazing, restful, exciting, and blessing-filled Christmas break, as I am. I also hope the wonder of Christmas overwhelms you as you feel the warmth of God’s love and remember the miracle birth of our Messiah.
I often say that I don’t choose what I read in my devotions, that God does. A prime example of this truth is held in 2 Samuel 7, which I came across a few days ago. I’ve been reading from the Old Testament for awhile now, just books here and there. To be honest, I didn’t really remember what was written in 2 Samuel. Anyways, in chapter 7, God reveals to a prophet how He will bless David and his ancestors forever.
“The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son…Your house and you kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.”
What a perfect passage to read during Christmas! “I will be his father, and he will be my son…” It just astounds me that God chose to reveal to a prophet hundreds of years before Christ that he would have a son, from the line of David, who would establish his kingdom forever. That is Jesus! HE will reign forever! The text that follows is just as powerful to me. It is David’s response:
“O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing, the house of your servant will be blessed forever”
It is true. His words are trustworthy. He has promised His servants—those who love Him—all these good things. And you know what? He is MORE than pleased to bless us.
This really impacted me today. In all truthfulness and sincerity, what my heart has been feeling lately is loneliness. I am surrounded by many, many wonderful people (like you!) who love me very much, and I in return—I know. But for various reasons, not entirely understood by myself, I have just felt lonely from time to time. Ladies, it is times like these where the voice and power of God is so clear and real to me, I just have to share it! I decided to take a break from family-time today and dwell in the Word. It was in re-reading this passage I found the other day that my spirit was renewed. Our Father’s words are trustworthy to us. And He is has promised us an eternity of blessings. Those blessings are fulfilled by the incarnation of Jesus Christ who was born on this day, who lived and walked among us, who died for our sins, and who will reign FORVER. And He does all this willingly because He loves us, and it pleases Him to bless us! He loves us. He loves ME! In the recognition of all this I felt in a very real way God’s love and comfort. And while I know that I will need to continue to work through these feelings of loneliness, I also know that I have the love of my father in heaven that is matchless and endless. He is my comfort and joy. And His son died for me so that I could enjoy His eternal blessings in which He pleased to give me.
Wherever you are and whatever your heart is feeling, I pray you all take time to seek and experience the love our Father. Merry Christmas!

Linds