The Greatest of Mysteries

“The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. A more lowly place of birth could not exist. Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is dozing, he is. He can’t remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement has subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He still hasn’t figured it all out. The mystery of the event still puzzles him. What’s important is that the baby is fine and that Mary is safe. As sleep comes, he remembers the name the angel told him to use . . . Jesus. ‘We will call him Jesus.’” (Max Lucado)1

“While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there wasn’t any room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6-7; GWB)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

  • King Jesus was born in a manger. Sit and think about this humble situation for a while. Ask God to give You revelation on this.
  • Put on some Christmas music and worship Him.
  • You may be feeling tired and weary from the stress of the season. Give it all to Jesus.
  • Pray for family members and friends. You know their needs. Talk to Jesus about them.
  • Pick up the phone and ask if you can pray for one of them.

A prayer you can pray:

King Jesus, how humbly You came. It’s hard to understand the Father’s plan to send You in such a quiet way. As I sit and ponder this, speak to me, Holy Spirit. Help me to “see” why You do what You do. Help me to know what really matters to You. Obviously, the flash of earthly wealth is meaningless and You are okay to do things quietly behind the scenes. The description of the special night of Your birth brings a peace to me. I give you my season’s stress. Exchange it for Your Rest. I will sit here and talk to You a while about what really matters – my family and friends. Meet their deepest needs, Jesus. Then, I think I will call one of them and pray about their needs with them. Amen.

Today’s decree:

God loves humility, peace, surprise and rest.

1 Lucado, Max, “It Began In a Manger.” https://maxlucado.com/it-began-in-a-manger-christmas/March 22, 2012.