In the Midst of Gloom--HOPE!

In our Pacific NW hemisphere, December is the darkest month. Our Walla Walla Valley often awakens to gray skies or fog.

 

What a fitting time to celebrate the advent of The Light! In the midst of gloom—HOPE! God who is rich in kindness showed Himself faithful to His promise. In Jesus, Immanuel, all the goodness of God is personified and tangible.

 

As we read and hear again the familiar story of Christ's first coming, it often escapes our attention that Joseph and Mary only knew the promise, not the details of its fulfillment. Yet, they held fast to hope.

 

My prayer is that we, too, will hold fast to our confession of hope without wavering, persisting to gather in prayer to the One Who continues to show Himself true to His Word. As we mothers continue in prayer for our children and their schools, they will be showered with Light and hearts will be transformed, a work only the Lord can accomplish. For He Who promised is indeed faithful! (Hebrews 10:23)

 

This is a wonderful presentation of Michael Card's "The Promise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyX-uriW3qk.

 

While we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, remember to share HOPE with other moms. Invite them to gather with you to pray and experience firsthand the Lord's faithfulness to hear and answer prayer. Give them a Moms in Prayer International prayer card inside a ministry booklet to remind them that our God inclines His ear to listen to His daughters.

 

Deus Spes Nostra—God is Our HOPE!

Nativity Pushes

If you use electronics—phone, IPad, laptop, etc.—you've probably noticed a prompt to okay an app/program to give you a "push." According to the dictionary, push means to move something in a specified way by exerting force or to press/urge to some action or course. 

 

Scripture tells us of several in the Nativity account who had a "push" prompt happen to them. Those "pushes" came in different and personal ways—angels, visions, dreams, ancient prophecy, a star, the word of the Lord. 

 

Similar to those in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke, we followers of Jesus also receive "push" prompts from the Lord. And, just like them, we each make a choice to pay attention to the push—or not. Mary welcomed the push. Zacharias questioned the push with unbelief. 

 

My prayer for us is that when we experience the Holy Spirit's push, we will respond as Mary—"Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" … "My soul magnifies the Lord."  

 

I pray that like Joseph we will let go of our plans to stride into God's. I pray we will make haste to find Christ as the lowly shepherds. I pray we will persist like the magoi who, though they became distracted by their own expectations, got back on track to lay their gifts in worship at the feet of the King of kings. I pray we will imitate Anna and Simeon who steadfastly year after year believed the word of the Lord.

 

As followers of the King, every push is meant to press us forward. And our forward movement will magnify the Lord. May that be our daily goal, to exalt our soon to return King.

 

He is coming again--riding a white steed, with the called, chosen, and faithful following Him also on white horses!