As I have been going over the Christmas story through the Gospels, one passage made me think about a simple fact. In Matthew chapter two, in the first two verses, we read how the wise men came to see the infant Christ. Their goal was to worship Him. Verse two reads, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
When we make it a priority to worship the Lord, there is an exchange that takes place. Coming to the Lord isn’t something that we do only in the midst of a crisis. Many times, when we get overwhelmed with our problems, before we realize it, we are glorifying the problems and not the Lord Himself. Jesus cares about our hurts and what we struggle with; but when we allow Him access to our situations and circumstances is when we cease to struggle with our “problem” and we worship the One Who gets us out of our mess. Our purpose is to acknowledge how awesome the Lord is, not how big the problem is. He’s given us the victory and has made us more than a conqueror.
Isaiah 40:28-31 are some good verses to study. Part of those verses says that, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength…. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”
Waiting on the Lord is worship. It is the exchange of our weakness for His strength. It is the exchange of our lack of ability for His ability. It’s time for us to do some exchanging on a more regular basis! The very Throne of God, where we come in and worship Him, is always there for us. We can make our habitation in His presence every day! Even when we “feel” otherwise, the Word is the same and true. Just as the three wise men did so many years ago, let us step into His presence each and every day. What a great time it is this Christmas to change your habits to being more focused on His presence. Amen!
Melissa and I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas! If you are in town and can be at service this Friday, you’ll be a part of a special Christmas Eve service. As the service proceeds, Melissa and I will personally serve Communion to each individual or family and personally pray for each of you. It will be an intimate time in the presence of the Lord that you will not want to miss. The Christmas Eve service is at 4:00 p.m.
We look forward to seeing you at The Lord’s Church this Sunday. Blessings to you and Merry Christmas!
Pastor James & Melissa Farmer
