On Tuesday night, while I was preparing Wednesday's prayer post for the Instagram account, I realized that I hadn't announced the December series yet. Sorry! So, now here it is - The December Series Announcement!
This month's series is called "Lessons of Christmas" and we're going through the Christmas story of Jesus' birth. I think that it's really important at Christmas time, and all the time, for Christians to remember that Jesus chose to leave Heaven - the most perfect, amazing place in creation - and come down here as a baby. To be born in a stable with animals and then have shepherds come and be His first visitors. And then live an ordinary human life, not that He was exactly ordinary, but the stuff He had to do was. But then He went into ministry and taught everybody about God, and who He was, and what He was going to do; so that we could have eternal life and an eternal relationship with God - if we so choose. Then He sacrificed Himself so that we could accept this gift.
At the same time, we're also going to be looking at four things that God has directed me to and revealed to me through thinking and reflecting on the story of Jesus' birth.
These are:
1. Unknown Seasons = Preparation Seasons 11/28-12/2
2. God has the Best Plan 12/5-12/9
3. God Uses Both the Ordinary and the Great to Do the Extraordinary 12/12-12/16
4. Jesus Brings Change 12/18-12/23
I'm so excited for what this series might hold. I hope it impacts you a lot. Also, there won't be a devotion for the last week of December. I'm taking that week to redesign the infographics for SWAGG's Instagram account, so it'll all be fresh for year number 2! Have a great December!
We’ve talked about praising God through the unknown. Now, we’ll focus on how this season might be preparing us.
Even though Mary experienced an unknown season when Gabriel told her that she would miraculously become pregnant and give birth to the Savior of the world, others around her had their own share of unknown. Zechariah and Elizabeth faced a long unknown season of infertility. In Bible times, the lack of children was often seen as a lack of favor from God, which we know isn’t necessarily true. They had to endure the shame though, that the culture put on them without any reason why. Nevertheless, Zechariah was met by Gabriel who told him that his wife would have a son who’d “…prepare the way for the Lord.”* Joseph also ran into the unknown of why his fiancé would bring him shame. Even after finding out the truth from a vision, he then had to take on the unknown of this new role.
Take aways for how to view uncertainty are: One, these seasons are from God. God initiated Mary’s unknown season, gave some clarity to Joseph’s, and ended Zechariah and Elizabeth’s. God has total control over these situations. Two, unknown seasons can test our trust in God. It might have been easy for Zechariah and Elizabeth to be bitter, for Mary to be overcome with fear, and Joseph to refuse his role; however, they chose to trust God. Trusting God is our main job in these times. Three, unknown seasons often lead to responsibility. These four people entered a season of parenthood with the responsibility of raising their kids in a godly way. We must be observant to what God’s teaching us during uncertainty, so we can be prepared for the responsibility He’s going to call us to.
Here’s how not to handle unknown seasons: Think that it’s our responsibility to end it – God’s the only one who knows when the season should end and what the outcome should be. Accept cultural shame over what God says about us – You must decide if You’ll let cultural norms or what God says control how you view your situation. Refuse the role that God has given you – Whether you seem unfit for the role, it seems undesirable, or there’s unknown around it, trust that God has picked you for a reason.
God’s Guidance:
Luke 1:6-7 (NIV) – “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.”
Luke 1:11 (NIV) – “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.”
Luke 1:13 (NIV) – “But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.”
*Luke 1:17 (NIRV) – “And he will prepare the way for the Lord. He will have the same spirit and power that Elijah had. He will bring peace between parents and their children. He will teach people who don’t obey to be wise and do what is right. In this way, he will prepare a people who are ready for the Lord.””
Luke 1:19 (NIV) – “The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.”
Luke 1:26-27 (NIV) – “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”
Luke 1:30-32 (NIV) – “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,”
Matthew 1:18 (NIV) – “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:20 (NIV) – “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:24 (NIV) – “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”
Application:
1. Seek out through prayer and observant reflection what God’s trying to teach you in the season you’re in
2. Read Luke 1:5-80 and Matthew 1:18-25 this week, which is about 14 verses a day
3. Let go of trying to control your circumstances
Strength Point:
Unknown seasons can be ones of wonder and growth, if we just trust God’s control and plan.
Prayer Prompt:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for preparing me for what’s to come in my future. You know exactly who – where – what to send me, where to call me to, and what to allow to happen to me, so that I’d grow to be the person You designed me to be. I’m sorry for worrying about what’s going to happen or why something’s not happening. I pray that I’d instead focus on what You want to do in me and through me during times of uncertainty. Teach me to turn to You when the outcome to a situation is unknown. I want to trust You even when the path is dark and foggy. When something I thought was good gets taken away, I’ll realize that You can see the big picture. If my plans fail me, I’ll believe that You can make something beautiful from my ruin. As I wait for clarity, I’ll come closer to You. My life is an offering to You, God, and I know You won’t waste a moment of it. You are a good God! I love You, Lord! In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.
A Prayer to Pray over Others:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for preparing us for what’s to come in the future. You know exactly who – where – what to send my friend, where to call them to, and what to allow to happen to them, so that they’d grow to be the person You designed them to be. Help them to not worry about what’s going to happen or why something’s not happening. I pray that my friend would instead focus on what You want to do in them and through them during times of uncertainty. Teach my friend to turn to You when the outcome to a situation is unknown. Create a desire in them to want to trust You even when the path is dark and foggy. When something my friend thought was good gets taken away, help them to realize that You can see the big picture. If their plans fail them, I pray they’ll believe that You can make something beautiful from the ruin. As they wait for clarity, remind them to come closer to You. If we give our lives as an offering to You, God, I know You won’t waste a moment of them. You are a good God! I love You, Lord! In Your Name, Jesus, I pray, amen.
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