đđ«đ€ Christâs peace and presence be with you. Well, it took 30 minutes to start, restart, and restart my computer again so that it would work for me to write to you today. Why would it need to start three times before it would work? I donât know. The inner workings of a computer are a mystery to me, yet I come back to it time and again, blindly believing it will be there and ready to do what I need it to at the very moment I want it to happen. Does this sound a bit like your prayer life? You start, restart, and restart again. Not really understanding the inner workings and mystery of prayer, yet you come back time and again blindly believing it will be there and ready to do what you want it to at the very moment you want it to happen? Are you approaching prayer with wishful thinking of what you want to happen or confidence to boldly accept the guidance you are given and move forward? I would guess the majority of us would answerâŠâThat depends on the prayer.â I would also guess to say that everyone of us pray a combination of both prayer styles.
When I sat down to write to you today, I wanted to talk with you about Luke 2: 8-20 which shares with us the experience of the angels announcing to the shepherds that the Messiah had been born, in the City of David. You know, just a short walk from where they were. So the angel of the Lord shows up, not by itself, but accompanied by the glory of the Lord shining all around them. I believe I would have felt the same way the shepherds did, for the Bible says that âthey were terrifiedâ. The angel assures them not to be afraid and delivers the message of the birth of our Savior. Upon delivering this message, suddenly âa multitude of the heavenly hostâ shows up and start praising God. I think by the time the âheavenly hostâ showed up, I would be in a full on state of âWhat the heck is happening here?â and âOhhh, the lights area so pretty.â
That angel must have been pretty convincing, being that the shepherds left the fields and went in haste to Bethlehem. Haste, excessive speed or urgency of movement or action. When God sends you a message, do you pursue it in haste?
After they spent some time with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, the shepherds started telling everyone who would listen, about the angel, the message, the heavenly host, Mary, Joseph, and the infant Savior. Luke tells us that âall who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told themâ. We have the Bible and know how the story ends, so we can see that this point in time was a pivotal starting point to the amazing life of Christ. But what was it that the shepherds truly experienced? I mean reallyâŠthis tiny baby, in a stable, wrapped in bands of cloth. Do you think they were likeâŠâWhew! I canât wait for the next 30 years to see Him in action.â? What those shepherds experienced was the intangible. They experienced the wisdom of the Spirit, not wisdom of the flesh. It was precisely the intangible wisdom of the Spirit that left the shepherds glorifying and praising God for all they had heard, seen, and experienced. The wisdom of the Spirit will take you beyond the realm of flesh and the key to opening that door is prayer.
So, I ask you. How will you approach prayer? Will it be with wishful thinking of what you want to happen or with confidence to boldly accept the guidance you are given to move forward by and in faith?
Bless others and be blessed.
Shelly :0)
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#JeremyCamp â Walk By Faith
Third Day Devotions 