A Christmas Devotional By Darlene ZschechSampl

O Holy Night

Oh, I LOVE this song...all the versions, all of us struggling to get hold of that last note, the sense of the SACRED that moves close to our hearts whenever and wherever this song appears. I feel like God loves this song. It’s as if His heavenly DNA is woven throughout the song as His presence is made manifest yet again.

The presence of God sounds mysterious and in one way it is, but the presence of God is not a fourth member of the trinity. His presence is HIS nearness, GOD WITH US. In fact, built into God’s name is EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US.

And so, I, and I’m sure many of you, have been on a mission to ensure that my life is defined by HIS presence. Not by my talent, even though He gave it to me to use for His glory. Not my success or failures, but to be aware and impacted by His continual presence, CHRIST IN ME, the HOPE OF GLORY. And so, to that end, I have been practising the presence of God.

The first time I heard the phrase “Practising the presence of God” was from a Carmelite Monk and the collection of his teachings from the 1600s under the same title “Practising the presence of God.”

Brother Lawrence's conversion to Christianity at 18 years old: "...in the winter, seeing a tree stripped of its leaves, and considering that within a little time, the leaves would be renewed, and after that the flowers and fruit appear, he received a high view of the Providence and Power of GOD, which has never since been effaced from his soul."

“I regard myself as the most wretched of all men, stinking and covered with sores, and as one who has committed all sorts of crimes against his King. Overcome by remorse, I confess all my wickedness to Him, ask His pardon and abandon myself entirely to Him to do with as He will. But this King, filled with goodness and mercy, far from chastising me, lovingly embraces me, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the keys of His treasures and treats me as His favourite. He talks with me and is delighted with me in a thousand and one ways; He forgives me and relieves me of my principle bad habits without talking about them; I beg Him to make me according to His heart and always the weaker and more despicable I see myself to be, the more beloved I am of God.”

― Brother Lawrence, The Practicing of the Presence of God

God is not bound by any human undertakings when it comes to His presence. For example, when I sing the song “O Holy Night,” it's like I can literally feel God's presence with me in such a tangible way, yet the song itself has had a long and complicated story, as people tried to silence the song after the writer, a poet, Placide Cappeau, walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist movement of the day. And so, the song, which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France, was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. I guess I don't need to tell you that when God blesses something, no man can stop it or get in the way. And the way this song pulls on the heart of humanity, well, I guess God found the way to take it out of the clutches of man to ensure His presence could be experienced by people like me through this magnificent lyric and melody. Literally music doing what it was born to do: to carry and communicate God's presence.

You should look up the story. It’s fascinating.

The Presence of God is not just a theory, but a fact. I had a wonderful experience of being born again. I found my purpose and reason for living, and bit by bit, I have found that there is SO much more available to us here on earth than we could possibly imagine. John 10:10: He came to give us life, SALVATION, and LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS. I believe this is living with the indwelling presence of God.

The presence of our Heavenly Father here on earth is a stunning fact: the raw dynamic of His person IN OUR MIDST, with us, His love, acceptance, His voice, His instruction and direction, His sound and His songs, His atmosphere, His love and astounding grace over our lives to live out His purpose and calling.

God will go to great lengths to break into our lives with His goodness. As you join in with this song this Christmas, invite the Holy Spirit to wow your heart again in His most glorious presence. It's where we are most at HOME.