Encountering God
Tuesday December 23, 2014
Encounters with the living God inevitably bring fear. On the night Jesus was born the angels had to reassure the shepherds, "Don't be afraid!" Once the shepherds realized the fact that God accepted them and wanted to communicate with them, they were free to worship the Christ child. The fact that Jesus came in the flesh reassures us that our holy and almighty God is also a personal God. God is with us and for us. We need not fear our unknown future or our all-too-familiar past. When we put our faith in the living God of yesterday, today and tomorrow his perfect love casts out all fear.
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..... When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (Luke 2:8-12, 15-16 NIV) This Christmas, God’s desire is that we receive His incomparable gift of love which drives away all fear – that is, His companioning presence. God wants us to know His heart, to know His thoughts and His longing for all human kind. God is looking for people who are attentive to who He is and what He does and why He does it. He's interested in being our friend and having us enter into friendship with Him -- a friendship in which He shares the events, thoughts and disappointments of each event of our day. God wants us to experience His meeting all our daily needs before we even ask. God is available. Will we come to Him? Will we recognize Him? Will we respond with our hearts to His love? Will we share the interests of His heart and allow Him to share the interests of our own?
This Christmas, let's encounter the love of Jesus. Let's come close and experience the wonder of being with Him.
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