I was a really small guy growing up. I only weighed about 60 pounds in the eighth grade. And that means I was picked on a bunch. In the seventh and eighth grade, I went to a school in Glenwood, AR where grades 7-12 were on the same campus. There were many times I wanted to hide and not come out until I could go home but I figured out a way to get through it all and it made me a better person.
My guess is, you’ve had times when life’s problems dwarfed you too. Times when you felt small and weak and you weren’t sure how to get through the day. Times when you felt the prodigal was too far gone, the diagnosis was too bleak, December was too busy, the workplace too worldly, your sin too great or the battle too big. But remember, God says when we are weak then we are strong. At least those of us who have surrendered to Jesus.
We have all heard the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. An improbable and impossible battle that David wins because he’s put his faith in the God of Heaven’s Armies. No one believed David could best the Philistine’s champion but God knew. David used the smallest, improbable weapon to put Goliath on his knees.
Then, God decided to do the improbable again. He took his smallest weapon, a baby, some 2000 years ago to put Satan and sin on it’s knees. Jesus was born in Bethlehem to fulfilled prophecy. When he was born, the angelic army leaned and said, “What an unusual way to win the battle!”
This time of year, we celebrate what God has done for us. He sent his Son, born of woman. In him, there is victory. In Jesus, we can win any battle in front of us. But to have that victory…to win the battle…to be triumphant over whatever is going on in your life, you’ve got to except Jesus and surrender fully to him.
God gave us all the most precious gift some 2000 years ago. He believed in you. Now, do you believe in him? God who spoke the world into existence choose not to show his power but his love for us through his Son Jesus. When God commands his angelic armies, it was not to wage war but to announce the birth of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It was an unbelievable moment in history, moving from B.C. to A.D. when the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled from Isaiah 9:6-7:
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen.”
Blessings on your journey and may you find the opportunity this week to share the blessing of the reason for the season.