How To Embrace The Joy of Christmas and Carry it Into The New Year
Before I even sit down with my hot chocolate with whip cream reflecting on these past cherished Christmas events with our families, the mental exhaustion of yet another predictable update of the latest restriction looms over my thoughts and the joy I was clinging onto.
Just one more day, just one pure moment of peace and happiness, before preparing for the worst-case scenario, I whispered to myself, but the seeds of doubt and overwhelm take root. They’re relentless and ruthless. They’re all-consuming and soak up all hope, peace, and joy, leaving despair and dread in their place.
Using their same tricks and tools that have trapped me before, but this time I recognize what these tactics really are.
Lies, just little lies that are designed to sightly twist the truth, by questioning what is true. Perhaps you’ve heard them too? “Where is God in all this”, “how could a good God let this be happening”, and “why isn’t God stopping this” are a few examples of the taunting questions that float in my head and keep me up at night. Knowing I’m not alone when I say enough is enough with crushing bad news that is getting recycled over and over helps a bit, but what I desperately need is to plant the Truth of God’s Word in my heart and mind.
Recalling some valuable insight from a devotional that my husband, Ian, and myself have been starting to read with our children each weekend leading up to Christmas reminded me of what truly matters. The story of the birth of Jesus and the journey leading up to His modest and unexpected arrival in a manger is the reason why we celebrated Christmas, but I’ve never considered or given it much thought to what happened after. This time we looked further into the next chapter and learned just how important and relevant this message is even today.
Matthew 2:1-23 tells us about how the wise men cross paths with King Herod asking about the new King that was prophesied. Of course, this news sends King Herod on a mission to have Jesus killed. Thankfully Herod was unsuccessful.
His attempts were unsuccessful because God was in control the whole time.
v. 9 - the star which God placed in the sky led the wise men to Jesus.
v. 12 - God warned the wise men in a dream to take a different route back home and not return to Herod.
v. 13 - an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream warning them of Herod’s plans and to flee to Egypt.
God also knew and had a plan long before Jesus was born. Over 700 years before the birth of Jesus, a prophet, Hosea foretold clues of the events with calling Jesus out of Egypt after King Herod had died, Matthew 2:15 and Hosea 11:1. We’re told in Isaiah 11:10, that the heir of David’s throne will be our Saviour. There are several more examples of these clues in the Old Testament that highlight the birth, life, and death of Jesus. They highlight that God knows what’s going to happen, that He has a good plan and nothing or no one can stop it from happening. All along, God’s plan was not for Jesus to die as a baby by King Herod’s hand but to die on the cross bearing our sins. God’s good and perfect plan was for Jesus to become the bridge between our sinful nature and God’s Holiness, for us to have the relationship He promised to restore from the very beginning since the first sin was committed. Everything came together in perfect harmony as it was supposed to. This brings me peace of mind that our Heavenly Father is in control and has a plan for our good and His glory.
The proof of past predictions provides peace in God’s promises.
One of my favourite verses that I grasp onto during shaking, uncertain and overwhelming times is “If God is for me, who can be against me” Romans 8:30, no one and nothing can stand in the way of God’s promises, plans, and protection. It’s because of what I choose to focus on I can have peace. What I focus on grows and can carry a lot of power. Everything I consume is absorbed into my heart and mind, what I read, watch, and listen to impacts me. The good news is we can decide where to spend our time and what we meditate on. We can plant our thoughts in either life-draining or life-giving ground.
He sees every teardrop and what makes our hearts break. Nothing is too big for our God to handle. He works all things out for our good and for His glory. We can have hope that He is in control and has a perfect, good plan just as He did when He warned the wise men to take the backroads home, for Joseph and Mary to take Jesus to Egypt away from King Herod’s evil plot. We can steady our restless thoughts on knowing God is the same past, present, and future. He is the joy, not our everchanging circumstances. No matter what 2022 brings we can have joy because of who God is.
We can carry the joy of Christmas into the New Year because God is in control and has a good plan that is preparing for the perfect promise of Christ’s return.
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that we can put our faith and trust in you. No matter what is going on around us, you are the eye of the storm where hope, peace, and joy can be found. Help us to focus on what matters, knowing that you are fully in control and have a plan and nothing can happen outside of that plan. All things happen for the good of Your people and Your glory. Lord, keep the treasured hope of Jesus (from the moment He was born to when He died on the cross for our sins and beyond) stored in our hearts. Praising that Jesus is our joy and nothing can steal it away from us. Thank you!
In Jesus Name, Amen
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