Feel God’s presence at Christmas time

“The Lord himself will give you a sign:

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  

Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ includes the angel’s announcement to Joseph that his betrothed, Mary, was to bear a son.  This was a fulfillment of the above prophecy of Isaiah, some 700 years before the birth of Christ. Immanuel means “God with us.” Hmmm . . . God with us . . . what does that mean?

Throughout history, the people of God have been assured that God was with them.  Joshua was told by God,

“for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”¹  

David wrote of God’s presence throughout the psalms, and we are comforted by the same assurance he was, that

“yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me.”² 

Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he comforted his disciples with these words,

“lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”³    

Cognitively, we can believe that God is with us, but how can we FEEL his presence?  It is Christmas time, the most important time of year for us to be aware and yea, even to feel God’s presence, and yet because of busy-ness, we could miss him; because of to-do lists, parties, etc., we could miss the awareness of our shining Star—Jesus! 

What can we do about the matter?

♦Let’s be desirous of God’s presence - Consider Brother Lawrence,⁴ who said, “Oh my God, since you are with me, and I must now, in obedience to your commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I ask you to grant me the grace to continue in your presence.  To this end make me prosper through your assistance. Receive all my works, and possess all my affections.” He was a dishwasher.  Hmmm . . .

♦Look for Him – be aware of where God might be working around you.  I’ve heard people pray for God to do or act in a certain way on their behalf, and then when they see action or resolution, they credit it to coincidence… Bah!

>If you are praying about something specifically, and there is movement in that area, don’t you think it is at least possible, if not probable, that God had something to do with it?!  Look for God at work around you.

♦Ask God to reveal himself to you – Psalm 19 talks about the heavens declaring the glory of God all around us.  Look and listen for him around you.

♦Make room for God with a little silence, so that you can hear him.

      “God is the friend of silence . . .

            See how nature, the trees, the flowers, the grass

                        grow in deep silence.

            See how the stars, the moon and the sun

                        move in silence.

            The more we receive in our silent prayer,

                  The more we can give in our active life.”   Mother Teresa

“Be still, and know that I am God.”  GOD, Psalm 46.10

“Be silent in the presence of the Lord God” Zephaniah 1.7

Listen to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hzmeYiAoDI -“I Am” Nicole Mullen.  I hope you’ll listen, and let God speak to you.  Look for the great I Am.

He was. . . He is. . . the great I Am, and He is with you, Child.  

Merry Christmas, dear Friend---I pray that you will discover God’s presence like never before. 

Christine

PastorWoman.com

1 Joshua 1.9

2 Psalm 23.4

3 Matthew 28.20

4 Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, from the 1600s