God's Miracle(s)
Posted in Misti's Posts 0 comments
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”-Luke 2:8-14
I imagine that a line formed the day God chose the angels who would go to send this message. This was THE most extraordinary thing that had ever happened! I bet the angels couldn't wait to be chosen to appear to those shepherds. This was a miracle! That Christ should come this way, at this time, was the coolest thing that had occurred in the history of forever!
This wasn't just one miracle, though. This was a string of miracles all packaged up in one event. You've probably heard about the prophecies...the odds that one person could fulfill all of them; yada, yada...quarters in Texas, yada yada. That's pretty awesome, too. But if you dig into this story, I think you'll find that there's more. Yes, I'd say we've actually missed quite a lot.
First is Mary. She found favor with God. This 13 year-old girl, probably raised much like any other girl of her day, stuck out. Her parents were simple people, certainly not educated beyond being able to make a living for their family. In those days, it was the religious leaders who studied the Scripture and learned how God wanted us to behave. They, in turn, gave instructions to the people like Mary's mother and father. And we all know the religious leaders were corrupt. They had the people practicing 'legalism': trying to keep all the rules so they could go to Heaven instead of living a true life of relationship with God.
That's not the half of it, either. Mary was a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL! I know what scholars say about how people were much more emotionally mature then, but I also read about a study of teens recently. This study proved that the decision-making part of the brain is not fully developed until past age eighteen. So a thirteen year old is LITERALLY short on brains! (I apologize to any thirteen year olds who may be offended by this...I'm just relaying facts :P) How is it that this one girl just "got it"? She trusted God to take care of her in the toughest situation a young woman of those times could find herself in.
Then we've got to look at Joseph. He was a good man, no doubt. But it had been 400 years since there had been a prophet in Israel. Four hundred years since God had spoken to His people. Joseph had a dream--so what? A dream is just a dream...what could possibly have made this man take his mind's nighttime wanderings for more than just that?
Some may disagree, but I believe the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus are a miracle as well. The Scripture indicates that Mary had probably been in attendance for one labor & delivery: Elizabeth's. Joseph, as per custom, had no knowledge of such things.When Mary went into labor they were stranded in Bethlehem and didn't know a soul. There was no midwife, people! There wasn't even a bed! Joseph himself delivered the child who wasn't his own and who he had agreed to raise. There would be many hard times to come for this little family, but after that, I'd say they probably felt pretty confident God would be there for them in any situation.
So now the question: Why does this matter? Who cares if there was one miracle or 3,468 miracles? (my unofficial count). It matters because it shows us how extravagant God is with us. God doesn't just provide us with what we need; He does it in a way that is so huge, so over the top, that we can't possibly deny it's His doing. He's showing off! I love that He does that for us!
Where have you seen God working in your life? Has He been extravagant with you lately? If not, maybe you're just missing it.
God never stops pursuing us. He is our shepherd; we are His sheep. Did you know that a sheep can get lost more easily than any other animal? They're apt to wander off from the herd, and if they pop over a hill or around a corner and lose sight of the herd, they can't find their way back. They become hopelessly lost. That is why, in Jesus' time, the shepherds had to sleep in the fields with their flocks. There were no fences, and the sheep were simply too directionally challenged to manage on their own. We are like those sheep. We are prone to wander away from God, and without His help, we can't find our way back. Because we're so directionally challenged (spiritually, anyway) God does extraordinary things to get our attention.
I imagine that a line formed the day God chose the angels who would go to send this message. This was THE most extraordinary thing that had ever happened! I bet the angels couldn't wait to be chosen to appear to those shepherds. This was a miracle! That Christ should come this way, at this time, was the coolest thing that had occurred in the history of forever!
This wasn't just one miracle, though. This was a string of miracles all packaged up in one event. You've probably heard about the prophecies...the odds that one person could fulfill all of them; yada, yada...quarters in Texas, yada yada. That's pretty awesome, too. But if you dig into this story, I think you'll find that there's more. Yes, I'd say we've actually missed quite a lot.
First is Mary. She found favor with God. This 13 year-old girl, probably raised much like any other girl of her day, stuck out. Her parents were simple people, certainly not educated beyond being able to make a living for their family. In those days, it was the religious leaders who studied the Scripture and learned how God wanted us to behave. They, in turn, gave instructions to the people like Mary's mother and father. And we all know the religious leaders were corrupt. They had the people practicing 'legalism': trying to keep all the rules so they could go to Heaven instead of living a true life of relationship with God.
That's not the half of it, either. Mary was a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL! I know what scholars say about how people were much more emotionally mature then, but I also read about a study of teens recently. This study proved that the decision-making part of the brain is not fully developed until past age eighteen. So a thirteen year old is LITERALLY short on brains! (I apologize to any thirteen year olds who may be offended by this...I'm just relaying facts :P) How is it that this one girl just "got it"? She trusted God to take care of her in the toughest situation a young woman of those times could find herself in.
Then we've got to look at Joseph. He was a good man, no doubt. But it had been 400 years since there had been a prophet in Israel. Four hundred years since God had spoken to His people. Joseph had a dream--so what? A dream is just a dream...what could possibly have made this man take his mind's nighttime wanderings for more than just that?
Some may disagree, but I believe the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus are a miracle as well. The Scripture indicates that Mary had probably been in attendance for one labor & delivery: Elizabeth's. Joseph, as per custom, had no knowledge of such things.When Mary went into labor they were stranded in Bethlehem and didn't know a soul. There was no midwife, people! There wasn't even a bed! Joseph himself delivered the child who wasn't his own and who he had agreed to raise. There would be many hard times to come for this little family, but after that, I'd say they probably felt pretty confident God would be there for them in any situation.
So now the question: Why does this matter? Who cares if there was one miracle or 3,468 miracles? (my unofficial count). It matters because it shows us how extravagant God is with us. God doesn't just provide us with what we need; He does it in a way that is so huge, so over the top, that we can't possibly deny it's His doing. He's showing off! I love that He does that for us!
Where have you seen God working in your life? Has He been extravagant with you lately? If not, maybe you're just missing it.
God never stops pursuing us. He is our shepherd; we are His sheep. Did you know that a sheep can get lost more easily than any other animal? They're apt to wander off from the herd, and if they pop over a hill or around a corner and lose sight of the herd, they can't find their way back. They become hopelessly lost. That is why, in Jesus' time, the shepherds had to sleep in the fields with their flocks. There were no fences, and the sheep were simply too directionally challenged to manage on their own. We are like those sheep. We are prone to wander away from God, and without His help, we can't find our way back. Because we're so directionally challenged (spiritually, anyway) God does extraordinary things to get our attention.
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