Have you ever walked outside after a really difficult day and looked up when the first evening star is peeking its head out in the twilight? And all that was so hard, the trials and tribulations that held you so tight seemed to melt away? Have you had those times when you felt like you’ve been holding your breath all day, and the moment when you gaze up at the night sky, you finally let go and breathe? Has that ever happened to you?
When John, my oldest was a toddler, sometimes after a trying day, I’d scoop him up in my arms and run outside just as the sun was setting. Looking for that first star, we would wait. And without fail, when it appeared, such peace would always find us.
Isn’t that the way it is? The majesty of God’s creation captures us reminding us of who He is—our Creator, our Savior, and as the angels proclaimed so long ago, Our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God.
To think on those things and—
~to know, with the deepest thanksgiving, that He is God and we are not;
~to know that He walks before us and behind us, speaking a word telling us to turn this way or that;
~to know that He loves us, so much so, that He sent His Son to take from us from the cesspool of sin that lives within, in return, giving us His righteousness.
All this and more should cause us to bow our heads in reverence and praise.
And so we do. Raising our worn out hearts, releasing the day in and day out—those circumstances that would otherwise steal our joy—in praise to Him, we begin to see God’s love even in the hardest of things.
Praising Him takes our eyes off of self, helping us remember who He is—Our Father, God Almighty—and that we, as His children, need only to run to the shelter of His wings. Obeying the Truth by placing all our faith and hope in His Son, Jesus, we fall into His grace, mercy, and love.
Let the words of the Christmas carol be in our hearts and minds as we make our way through the days to come.
“O come let us adore Him. O come let us adore Him. O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”
