Around Christmas time, we often hear the chorus of “joy to the world” ringing through the air. It can be easy to get used to the well-known biblical truths of Christmas time and forget the awe and meaning of them. It is so important to continuously remember how powerful and freeing is the Word of God!
When we think about scriptures concerning Christmas, one of the first that come to my mind is Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Those verses are encouraging reminders of who Christ came to be, but also is a reminder of God’s faithfulness to keep His promises. Long before Christ ever came, God provided many prophecies about the coming King who would bring life and peace. Later in Isaiah, it is also said that “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Predicted in such detail, it is amazingly obvious and wonderful that Christ fulfilled these prophecies in every way when He came to earth as a baby born to a virgin named Mary. Only our powerful God could make such a promise and then bring it about, and He is always faithful to keep His promises.
The Lord makes many promises to believers in His Word, and as we pass through trails and difficulties in life we can always cling to them resting assured that He is faithful to keep His promises. He says He will never leave His children and will be attentive to their cry, and we can trust that He will follow through. He promises that He is good and does only good, and we know that He will never disappoint. The same God who provided many prophecies and has brought them about is the same God we serve today, and we can put our full confidence in His freeing, amazing promises.
Let us not grow accustomed to the traditional scriptures we hear year after year. May they continue to change us and impact us in new ways! And may we remember the promises of our Lord and rejoice in the hope He provides for this New Year!
