IT’S CHRISTMAS,

WHERE CAN WE HIDE?

Here we are in the third week of December, and it is so cold and dreary as we draw closer to Winter, and the celebration of the birth of our Wonderful Lord!  It seems that the whole world outside my window is frozen, and we wonder if Springtime will come again, and we long for those balmy days again.

The stores are busy, lines are long, traffic is heavy, and people may find themselves lost in the crowd at this time of the year.  And with all the business of this season, sometimes we wonder if we can just hide out until the season is over.  Our lists are so long, and so much to accomplish as the “big” day draws near.  And as I look at the people in stores, in lines, and recently in the emergency room of a local hospital, as my husband had taken a tumble and needed some stitches, I see pain and discouragement.  And I wonder as I see new people enter the emergency room, just what is on their hearts, what is their struggle?  What is their pain?  And much of people’s pain is not just physical, but emotional.  Many are in depression and fear of the unknown.

But, Praise the Lord, because of that baby in the manger, there with His mother, Mary and Joseph, we have hope.  That baby was God’s Son sent to this earth to redeem mankind from the sin of this dark world and bring salvation and eternal life to all who would call upon His Name.  And I wonder about the crowds and how many really know that the Savior has come!  Oh, I know there are many believers in those crowds.  Many people are rejoicing in their salvation and the glory of this season, and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As I look about me and see the sad faces of some, and know that some may be laughing and celebrating on the outside but are crying on the inside.  But our God knows their tears, and hears their cry!  Read the words of David in the book of Psalms, as his heart was crying out to His God in a time of great trouble. “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in your Tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings” Psalm 61:1-4.

In this busy season of hustle and bustle, of dreary weather, of all the commercialism of this season, when it seems that the Christ of Christmas has been forgotten and deliberately left out of the celebration, there is a call that goes forth from God’s Word.  To stop and listen, listen to your heart, what you are feeling at this time.  Maybe it is loneliness, or helplessness, you have lost your joy, your hope.  Maybe you are empty inside because you have never known the joy of Jesus as your own personal Savior.  You can call out to Him right now, where you are, ask Him to hear your cry and please listen to your prayer.  And notice that David was crying out to His God, He was desperate!  Are you desperate enough right now, my friends, to literally cry out to God in the midst of your despair?

David said that no matter where he was on this earth, he could cry out to his God.  And no matter where you are, my friends, He is always attuned to your cry.  You could be on the other wide of the world, you could be on a mountain top, you could be in a valley, anywhere, and He hears even the faintest of cries.  Isn’t that wonderful?  What a Mighty God we serve!

When you are totally overwhelmed with your struggles and pain, and many people at this time are simply overwhelmed by the season.  It comes so quickly, and there is so much anticipation, and then it is all over, and the New Year is upon us, and we still feel overwhelmed, still feel empty on the inside.  But David says “to lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”  And who is that Rock?

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. . . For who is God, except the LORD, and who is a rock, except our God? . . . “The LORD liveth and blessed be my Rock!  Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation” 2 Samuel 2, 32, 47.

In I Corinthians 10:4, the Apostle Paul stated that the “Rock” that followed the Children of Israel was Christ Himself.  So the Rock that is higher than I, the Rock that is higher than all our grieve and sorrow, the Rock that is higher than depression, fear and loneliness, and all that brings all the despair into our lives is Jesus Christ, our Lord!  And He alone is our shelter in these troubled times. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” Proverbs 18:10.

And in His Name we can hide and He is our strength.  He is like a mighty tower to hide in.  And what is His Name?  “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”  Isaiah 9:6.  We can run to our Wonderful Lord, He is our Counselor in times of deep distress, He the Mighty God of this universe, He is our Everlasting Father, for now and forever, and He is the only one that can bring peace to this world, He is our Prince of Peace!  

And David says that he will “trust in the shelter of Your wings.”  He uses that phrase in many of the Psalms.  It is a beautiful picture of our Lord, hiding us under His wings, hovering over us like a mother hen hides her chickens.  He will cover us and shelter us from the storm that is blowing around us.

So, my friends, as this holiday season rushes on toward the New Year, take comfort in our Wonderful Lord.  He can bring such peace and comfort in a world that sometimes seems like it has gone mad.  He is our shelter, our Rock, and we can hide in Him.  So take comfort in God’s Word, and the hope that He brings us.  The world will not bring peace. All the hoopla of this season will not bring peace.  Peace is only found under the shelter of His Wings.  Let Him cover you and comfort you right now, in the Name of Jesus.

I leave you this week with this blessing:  “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.  The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace” Numbers 6:14-26”

Pastor Sharon