“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us…He will be called: Wonderful, counsellor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.” Isaiah 9:6
The opening words of the great Christmas carol, “O Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant” begs the question, are we really joyful and triumphant?
There is so much desperate need, terrible suffering and trouble all around us and it seems as though things are just getting worse by the day. But we can take courage at this time, for as M Basilea Schlink writes, “Christmas shows us that there is someone who cares, someone who loves us and feels for us in all our troubles.
There is someone who is there to comfort and help us in our pain, someone who gives us hope.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. When we respond to suffering by trusting God and saying, ‘Yes Father, I accept your will for me,’ heaven opens and inexpressible glory is ours.”
For our sakes, Jesus was born as a baby, lived among us and was given into the hands of those who hated and killed Him. That is how much God cares for us and that is why we can sing, “Come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant”.
We need to draw faith from the fact that our Lord Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas actually became human, just like us. The Bible says, “It was necessary for Him (Jesus) to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God…Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.” (Hebrews 2:17-18).
It has always been a great source of encouragement, comfort and even joy to me during hard times to be reminded that He knows and understands me with all my problems, worries, hurt and suffering, and that I can indeed be triumphant.
But how do we make this a reality in our lives? I believe it is by putting our trust in God our Father, no matter what. Pray to Him, cry out to Him, and tell Him that you want to trust Him in every situation or circumstance.
Comfort, even joy and triumph over whatever is troubling us will enable us to persevere in faith, hope and trust.
A PRAYER: Father God, thank you for showing us just how much you care for us by sending Jesus into this world as a baby. Help us to understand that from the cradle to His triumphant victory over the grave, He came to heal and comfort and save.
Amen.
