Be Still and Behold

A month has sped by and I’m remembering the fun and fury ushered in during December 2023. I describe it as Christmas chaos. Having downsized to a two bedroom condo, my husband and I have little space to offer guests. The challenge to occupy our modest place with our visiting family began three days before Christmas and lasted a week. 

The days were noisy and chaotic, thrilling and extraordinary, full of food and surprises. But nighttime didn’t bring the needed rest as the toddler slept on a small bed with us, his grandparents, in one bedroom and the baby slept in a crib by his parents in the other. Terror, tears, feedings, and fears beset us all as we dealt with the two young children adjusting to a cramped and strange environment in a different time zone. Sleepless nights evolved into bleary days. 

As time ticked on, we gathered together with extended family members, creating more disorder and at times, discord. Tis’ the season, right? To gather and give thanks for the Savior baby with the families we love who also infuriate us. Merry Christmas. 

Whenever I got the chance to hold my four month old grandson, I wondered about Mary and her baby boy. What a chaotic mess to be pregnant and traveling by donkey to the hometown of her husband. Arriving and awaiting delivery, they found no place to stay. No room in the inns. 

They finally settled into a stable as a birthing room and placed the newborn babe in a manger or trough where animals feed. Mary probably felt some anxiety and stress. But oh to behold Him, the One who was a special delivery from a Heavenly Father. What honor and joy she must have felt to bring into a chaotic world the Prince of Peace, Immanuel the God with us. 

Silently studying my grandson as he lay defenseless in a crib, I realized his helplessness. With stillness all around, I thought of my God, my Savior, the Creator of the world. He came into our world, the one He created, to live like His created ones. What sacrificial surrender! What supreme humility! What amazing love!

Suddenly the chaos became hushed harmony. Behold, shepherds and magi came from afar to see the fulfillment of the promise of a newborn King. And far off into the future, many more people gather to celebrate the birth of this Promised One, Jesus the Messiah, the Savior of the world. 

Praise the God who entered our chaos and gave us a silent night of promise. 

Be Refreshed

“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”  John 4:29

          She trudged up the hill to the community well, her face glowing from the heat of the day. No other woman would be fetching water at noon. An ideal time to avoid the stares, the scandal, the sting of their cruelty. By herself, encumbered by an immoral life-style, the Samaritan woman began to do the hard work of drawing water. 

          “Please give me a drink,” he said. Surprised, she looked up and saw a man, a Jew, talking to her. How could it be? 

          “Why do you ask me for a drink?” she said. 

          “If you only understood the gift of God, you would be asking me for water, living water,” he answered. “The water you draw from the well quenches thirst temporarily, but I give water that takes away thirst entirely, becoming an endless spring within you.”

While leaning over and pulling up the bucket from far below, she thought about the depth of her disgrace. The daily drudgery of fetching water in the middle of the day. The despair of detachment from society. 

          “Oh sir, please give me the water you speak of. I’ll never be thirsty again. I won’t have to come here at midday to haul water.”

          “Then go get your husband,” He instructed. 

          “I have no husband,” she said. 

          “That’s right. You have no husband because you’ve had five husbands. And now you are living with one you are not even married to.”

          Ashamed and astonished, she began to wonder who this man was. How does he know this about me? Could he be a prophet? 

          She tried to throw him off by asking why Jews worship in Jerusalem and Samaritans worship at Mount Gerizim. He told her that one day it will not matter where one worships as long as the Father is worshipped through the spirit and in truth. The soul will recognize God’s worth and delight in the true worship of God.

          She responded, “I know Messiah will eventually come and explain these things to us.” 

          “I am the Messiah,” Jesus said. 

          Could this be true, she wondered, is the wait over? He certainly knows everything about me. She meditated on the possibility that the Messiah stood before her. 

          Shaking with amazement, she left her water jar and ran back to her village. Forgetting the hard work of fetching water. Living water refreshing her soul. Hurrying to tell the good news of the Christ, the Messiah, who knew her without having ever met her.  (John 4:1-30)

          Jesus Christ, the Messiah, knows each one of us just as He knew the Samaritan woman. He longs for us to know Him, to know of His truth and grace. Too many times we try to bury our sin, avoid the fallout, and pretend everything is okay. What a deep dry well we dig, working hard to make things better when in reality they only get worse. Before we know it, we’re constrained by a heavy burden and captive to our own disgrace. Not until we confess our sins to Jesus will we be set free from the pain it causes. Once forgiven, we too will drop what we’re doing and run to tell everyone the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

          Oh the joy of being known and yet pardoned of sin. Jesus had confronted this woman’s past, present, and future with truth and grace. He had met her where she was. Suddenly she faced her sin and delighted in receiving His favor. Shame and humiliation forgotten, she ran to tell others about the Messiah who knew her fully. He had called her to truth, and when she received Him, He granted grace. She stood refreshed from a spring of living water welling up inside of her, never to thirst again. 

          Are you pursuing a trove of earthly treasures? Or are you avoiding the result of those choices? Maybe you are fetching water that only temporarily quenches your thirst. 

          Look to the Messiah who yearns to quench your thirst permanently. Tell Him your troubles and receive His gracious mercy. The living water He offers will forever refresh your soul. 

20/20 Vision

“
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes.
Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored,
and he saw everything clearly.
Mark 8:25 (NIV)”

          Suppose you lived on a city street corner, a vagrant with no place to call home. The sounds of gathering crowds and the unpleasant smells of livestock daily pass you by. You begin to imagine what it would be like to take a look at your environment. But you know that will never happen because darkness engulfs you. You are blind.

          There was a blind man in Bethsaida. When news spread about the arrival of the Man who performed miracles, the blind man’s friends led Him to Jesus. The disciples and bystanders all watched as Jesus lay hands on the man’s eyes. Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

          The man said people appeared dim. He described them as trees walking around. Jesus again placed his hands on the man’s eyes. Immediately his sight was restored. His eyes were opened. He saw everything clearly. What a miracle to have experienced. 

          Earlier Jesus had initiated a tough discussion with His disciples after abundantly suppling bread and fish for a massive crowd of people. The bounty was so great that they had experienced an overflow. Following the massive meal, the disciples had picked up baskets full of leftover pieces. Jesus then warned the disciples of the yeast of religious leaders and the adherence to man’s ways. But they failed to understand Him. “Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” Jesus asked.

          Throughout His cross-examination, Jesus tried to enlighten His disciples about God’s ways. Jesus, the Bread of Life, had supplied the needs of a hungry crowd and the disciples had witnessed the miracle. But the Pharisees tried to deny the supernatural event with requests of more signs. Jesus recognized the dangers of the religious elite’s unbelief circulating among His followers. Though He reminded the disciples of His divine power, He knew they misunderstood.

          Like a loving teacher who desires for His students to learn, Jesus closed the discussion with another miracle. He healed the blind man brought to Him in Bethsaida. After placing His hands on the man’s eyes twice, his vision was restored. He saw everything clearly. Did the disciples now see and understand?

           Again, suppose you encountered vision problems and your world began to grow dark. Would you follow the ways of man and allow fear to consume you? Or would you cling to faith in God even though you couldn’t see what stood in front of you? 

          I recently discovered that three of my friends grappled with eye disease. Struggling with cataracts and glacoma, all three needed surgery. I could only imagine the uncertainty they faced. Asking for prayer, these ladies resisted fear and clung to faith. And praise God, they’ve all had successful surgeries. 

          Are you burdened with a bodily disease? Or are you overloaded with dis-ease and difficulty from work and finances? Most likely Covid and its ramifications have stressed you to a maximum level. Has your focus been faith or fear? Can you hear Jesus saying, “Do you still not understand?” 

          After Jesus gave sight to the blind man, He continued on with His instruction to His disciples as they traveled to neighboring villages. Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

          Several of them offered various answers, but Peter said, “You are the Messiah.”

          What a declaration. It seems the disciples were finally developing eyes to see and ears to hear. Was truth beginning to be revealed?           

          How about your eyes and ears? Have the happenings of the year 2020 distracted you with fear and terror? Or have you been awakened to God’s powerful presence and His promised faithfulness? Jesus is the Bread of life. Everyone who is spiritually hungry will be satisfied by belief and trust in Him. 

          Focus on Jesus, the Bread of Life, the spiritual staple that fills hearts and souls. Look to Him and know He is God. With clear vision and receptive ears, grasp the truth of His words. And He will supply all your needs abundantly, even to an overflow.