Lord, I am Your child.
I know You have good things for me.
Let Your words be fulfilled in my life.
Focus of the Month: Christmas Memories… The memory of the righteous is a blessing
Walking out of the church hand-in-hand many Christmas Eves ago, we stepped into the beautiful, serene, surreal scene of fresh-fallen snow. The crisp, cold night air kissed our cheeks as glistening flakes sprinkled from the sky. Our hearts, already warmed by His holy presence, blazed with continued reverence and overwhelming peace. Tears welled up in my eyes. The stillness and newness of the fresh blanket of snow sealed this sacred night as one to remember forever.
He is Emmanuel. God with us. Prince of Peace. Wonderful Counselor. Eternal Father. Mighty God. The Word Made Flesh. Lord of All.
That December of years past, life was chaotic, unsettled and the future unsure. I had broken down emotionally multiple times in the pressures of that season. I remember pulling off to the shoulder of the road one day, crying uncontrollably, as Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)” played on the radio:
Breath of Heaven, hold me together. Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven. Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness. Pour over me Your holiness, for You are holy, Breath of Heaven.
Do You wonder as You watch my face if a wiser one should have had my place. But I offer all I am for the mercy of Your plan. Help me be strong… Help me be… Help me…
I prayed the words of that song in that moment – so broken, so empty, so lost – yet with the deepest, most passionate desire to see my prayer fulfilled. Darkness had overwhelmed me, and I could see no way out. All seemed lost. Only His light could show the way. Only His mercy could make things right. Only His strength could make me strong, for I was so very weak. The things I faced seemed impossible, but God says with Him, “nothing is impossible.”
When the pressures of life implode around us; when chaos erupts in our homes; when stresses surmount at the workplace; when the seemingly impossible circumstances demand answers; what will our response be? In those moments, will we remember the words of Almighty God? Will we cling to His words and trust Him to fulfill them in our individual lives and very specific situations?
What if we could respond exactly as Mary did to the angel that night she learned of her fate – to be the mother of the Son of God? What if, like Mary, in the midst of circumstances, confusion, trials, pain and hardship, we respond: “Let it be done unto me according to Your Word, Lord”?
When we stepped out of the sanctuary that Christmas Eve long ago, into the blanket of fresh-fallen snow, it was as if God was confirming to me, “I DO make ALL things new, pure, holy – white as snow. I bring peace. I restore. Truly, nothing is impossible with Me.”
As we turn the pages of our lives, closing this year’s chapter, and beginning a new one, be encouraged to make Mary’s response your own. No matter how impossible things may seem, cause yourself to say, “Nevertheless Lord, let it be done unto me according to Your Word.” Then, believe His words are exactly for you – that nothing is impossible with Him.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Maryann
Scripture References: Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; John 1:14; Romans 10:12; Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:16; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Luke 1:37-38; Isaiah 1:18; Revelation 21:5.