Worn Out Getting Ready for the Day? Rest in Him!

Wow, just a few more days till Christmas!  If you’re like me, there are still quite a few things to do to get ready for the day.  I keep thinking I need to add an arrangement to a table, an ornament to the tree, a package underneath or another string of lights outside.  Most of us, if truth be told, have lots more Christmas ideas than days left to accomplish them!  I find that right about now, I begin to lose ground between my ideas and plans and daylight hours. I also find that I am getting tired.  It’s a hustle bustle world out there and if we’re not careful, we can get too busy to remember what Christmas is really about.    

Mary and Joseph spent the night in the stable because there was no room in the inn. Because it was one of those hustle bustle times around Jerusalem, the big tax season, there were a lot of people in town. Everyone was busy, some were worrying about paying their taxes, others were worried about seeing the right people and having the right connections. Joseph was worried about Mary and Mary was thinking about her unborn child.

For us, we can scarcely imagine giving birth, delivering our baby, in a barn! The germs, the animals, the hay, the unsanitary conditions! We would be fretting to say the least. We’d be demanding something better. Yet Mary wasn’t fretting or worrying about the situation.  Why? How could she stand it?

Because Mary had already spent time with God, she knew He could be trusted. She knew that even if things looked dreary, dim and dark, that He would be there for her.  Not only had an Angel of the Lord, spoken with her, she had listened! The Word said, “she pondered all these things”. 

Oh beloved! This morning as you wipe the sleep from your eyes and your recount all the things yet to be done, won’t you stop a moment and listen? Listen closely, for amid the sounds of so much rushing and doing and planning there is Someone trying to speak songs of love and truth to your heart! He is the way and as you put your trust in Him, you will find favor! The Lord Himself says to you this morning, Rest in My promises, for each one of them are for your good and My glory! Rest in My care for I AM the one who brought you this far and will care for you all the way to heaven. You cannot trust circumstances, but you can trust Me. You cannot trust yourself, but you can believe that I AM all you need for this holiday, for the holy occasion. As you celebrate so busily, don’t forget to celebrate Me! For I AM the fount of living water, the Redeemer of your heart, the Restorer of your soul and the One Who loves you beyond your wildest hopes and dreams! And if I love you, I will surely be for you always.

Luke 1:30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!

Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Psalm 27:8  My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.”

Psalm 31:16  Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.

Psalm 139:17-18 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me!

Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.