“Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”" Luke 2:10-14
And with that, the history of mankind would be changed forever.
The Lord; Creator of all things from the beginning of time, would give a sign to the people, declaring to them the greatest news mankind would ever be given. And what was this sign?
A baby...in a manger...in a barn.
If you're anything like me, it's hard for you to wrap your mind around how the smallest of things - when done the way that God is able to use them - can develop into moments that forever change the course of human history.
Those were some very dark times in Israel's history. They were occupied by a brutal Roman regime that, not long after this event, had every male child under two years of age brutally murdered in an effort to kill Jesus before he could ever be referred to as "King."
I'm quite certain that many of those who were devoted to God during that time prayed regularly, asking Him to destroy this evil empire that was oppressing them. From what had been written in the scriptures, they believed that the "Messiah" who was to come would be a mighty warrior who would destroy the enemies of Israel and lead their nation into greatness once again.
They, like most of us, had an extremely limited vision of what God had in mind for His people. Since the Romans were the enemy that was currently oppressing them, they saw their deliverance from Roman rule and authority as being the very highest priority, and they believed that surely this is what the prophecies spoke of when describing this "One" who was to come.
But He didn't come onto the scene as a warrior. He came as a baby...in a manger...in a barn.
And He didn't come to free them from the Romans, but instead from a far greater enemy; one who would oppress and attack every single person on the planet throughout the history of mankind, doing everything within his power to keep us from knowing the magnificence and beauty of being given a life that can be used by the Lord Himself to change the world around us in ways we never dreamed possible.
We can get lost sometimes looking at the biggest problems we seem to be facing at the moment, can't we? The problems we face within our own lives can completely destroy our ability to step back and look at the big picture. They can leave us feeling absolutely hopeless at times, entirely drained of the joy we're supposed to be experiencing from our walk of faith.
During those times, when you're feeling as though everything seems to be crashing down around you, how do you look for God? How do you expect to find Him?
I'll be the first to confess that I sometimes have a very hard time waiting upon God. I become impatient when I can't seem to see any progress. I'll read verses like Isaiah 40:31:
"Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."
...and I'll say to myself; "Alright...well...I've been waiting for...like...five hours. Nothing has happened. I need to strap these wings on myself and jump off of this cliff already."
Maybe it's not five hours. Maybe it's five weeks, or five months, of even five years, and still, nothing has changed. What then?
It's then that I need to step back and look for God in the small things.
It's then that I need to just take the next step, making sure that step is the right one. After that, I'll take another. Do I know which one of my steps is the one that the Lord will use in ways I never imagined possible? Do I know how He is weaving all of those seemingly meaningless steps into a glorious tapestry I never would've imagined? No.
All that I know is this:
He changed the entire course of human history with a baby...in a manger...in a barn.
Wherever you are in your life, don't lose hope. After all, God often works through the little things, and not one little thing you do in following Him goes unnoticed by Him. Our God is the God of miracles. Take one more step of faith. Believe for one more year, one more month, one more week, one more day, or even just one more hour. Take the next step, whatever you believe is the right step to take, and then take another one. Only God knows where all of those steps will eventually lead.
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