The Most Important Journeyنموونە

Day 10

by Liz Patrick

Contributor, Seacoast Manning Campus

Go and See

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” ~ Luke 2:15 (NIV)

On February 8, 2023, a routine Wednesday morning Chapel service at Asbury University in Kentucky turned into an unplanned, multiweek revival after a student openly confessed some of his sins to the small group who stayed afterward—and it changed the atmosphere. They felt God’s presence. News spread and people from around the world poured in. The crowd swelled to nearly twice the town’s population. God was up to something, and people wanted “to see.”

Two thousand years earlier, a band of shepherds on a hillside on the outskirts of town were unexpectedly visited by a host of angels. They lit up the sky and with a glorious shout announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah in Bethlehem. So, what did the shepherds do? They went to see for themselves—and they didn’t delay.

When I consider what compelled the shepherds to go and see and what moved thousands to visit a chapel on a college campus in Kentucky, I see that it was God’s presence. He showed up. The shepherds’ lives were changed forever as they witnessed the newborn child who would save the world. People who visited Asbury College experienced the presence of God and repented and worshiped.

We’re a “go and see” people. We want to be a part of important events and experiences as they happen. But you know what’s awesome? We can experience God right now, right where we are. Yes, the shepherds had the privilege of seeing the Savior in person, but we have the great privilege of seeing him in the Word—and we have the whole story!

Going and seeing him is as close as wherever your Bible is. It’s as close as our bedroom closet—my personal favorite place to pray. But sometimes we hesitate to visit him. We’re tired, distracted, unmotivated, or disappointed. We don’t turn to him because we don’t want to be challenged or corrected. Or we’re frustrated because he seems slow to show up or respond. But we can’t SEE unless we GO. I pray this Christmas season you will “go and see” the story in a new light. Dig into the Word. As you turn the pages of scripture, I pray you’ll deeply understand his love for you.

Reflect: What compelled the shepherds to go and see? What do you think moved thousands to visit a chapel on a college campus in Wilmore, Kentucky?