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Welcome to the second post in the Christmas series, and I am so excited to dive right in with you guys! This year, we are covering three pieces of encouragement that we can be reminded of through the birth of Jesus that are so applicable but often overlooked. Last week, we talked about how God can use anyone's story - no matter how broken - for His glory, if we only take a small step of obedience. We talked about the different characters in the Christmas story and how the Lord used them all in big ways, despite their many different backgrounds and flaws.
This week, we're going to be talking about how intentional God is in His plan for our lives. The timing of the birth of Jesus and all of the events surrounding it as so purposeful, and it reminds me of how incredibly purposeful God is throughout our lives. Even when it feels like He's absent, there is never a wasted season, and He is using it all for His glory and our good.
Even when it feels like He's absent, there is never a wasted season, and He is using it all for His glory and our good.
There is a 400 year gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament (the beginning of the New Testament documents the birth of Jesus). This time was referred to as the "Silent Years" because no prophets received a word from God. There was much turmoil in Israel and among the people, and it had felt like God was just taking a backseat to everything going on.
Can we take just a moment to think about that? 400 years without hearing from the Lord. We experience droughts in our faith, but they experienced generations of silence. Yet, God had a reason for all of this, because He was going to meet them in the middle of their greatest needs.
In fact, Jesus was born in the midst of one of the most tumultuous times in history. Right before His birth, the First Jewish Revolt took place, when Jews in Judea attempted to gain independence from Rome, and it led to the Romans destroying the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. There was so much violence within the community, as the Jews were very much anti-government. Herod, the ruler at the time of Jesus' birth, led with significant terror and mass surveillance, even killing a few of his own family members. There was no mercy.
Yet this was the time that God chose for His son to enter the world as a baby. Not as a ruler who could conquer or a military leader to defend the Jewish people, but as a baby, who was vulnerable and weak and dependent.
This is absolutely so striking to me because it just makes me think about how our God is not a God of convenient. The Jews had to endure an extremely long, multi-century waiting season, but the Lord knew at the exact time that they needed Jesus to arrive to make the biggest difference. He knew at the exact time that there would be hearts ready to accept Him.
God also knew that the Jews needed a loving redeemer, not a demanding conqueror. Everyone expected a military leader or ruler, but God had greater plans for His people - more than just political freedom, but spiritual transformation. He knew what was best for them, even if it required some uncomfortable waiting or if their answers arrived in an unexpected way. He knew that they needed Jesus, and He crafted a perfectly intentional plan for Him to enter into the world.
God also does that in our life, too. He has intentional and perfect plans for each of us, and He uses every season for a purpose. At the end of every waiting season, He has a blessing and a lesson, and He will deliver the promise at just the right time. The Lord brings us exactly what we need, when we need it, even if it's not the image we have in mind. And I'm so grateful for that, because His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, so that means that He sees something we don't. That means He has something better in mind than we do, so we can walk in faith even when we don't understand.
If you're in a season where you're waiting on God, I understand what that feels like. I understand the flurry of emotions - the confusion, questioning, anger, frustration, loneliness, holding onto faith by a thread. I've been through short waiting seasons and waiting seasons that feel like they're lasting forever, but I've also experienced the miracles and goodness of God on the other side of those seasons. I can testify that God never leaves you in a place of waiting or feeling far from Him, and it's evident in not only my life but through the Christmas story as well. God is so kind to us, and He has good plans, even if we have to go through the fire to receive it.
The beautiful thing about the Lord is that every trial has a purpose and such intention within it. He brings miracles and blessings despite how our circumstances may make us feel or challenge our beliefs. God meets us where we're at and exceeds our every expectation, and I'm so grateful for that. We think we have the best dreams in mind for ourselves, but they pale in comparison to what the Lord has in mind for us. He doesn't want us to settle for our limited perspective but brings us the absolute best, and sometimes that takes a little bit of refining to be able to receive and appreciate. And when we do get to receive that, it is absolutely so much sweeter because we had to go through the trial before we got to experience it.
In this second post of our Christmas series, I shared the intentionality and purpose the Lord had behind planning the birth of Jesus. He had a specific timing and vision to provide for and save all of humanity, even if it didn't look like the vision we may have had for ourselves. Despite their long season of waiting, the blessing on the other side was even better than they could have imagined. And the same is true for our lives. Even when we walk through seasons of waiting and questioning, God always comes through and provides what He knows is best for us. This Christmas season, I'm praising God for His sovereignty and kindness to me, even when I don't always understand how it's going to come about.
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