Day 24 — Away in a Manger

Did you know…Some Christmas carols have caused controversy? It’s true! Today’s song, “Away in a Manger,” is a prime example. Until the 20th century, it was believed that this well-known song was authored by Martin Luther, but historians have since determined it was written in the 1930s by an unknown American. It has caused quite a debate over the years!

No matter who created this beautiful carol, we are grateful that a song is able to whisk us away from daily life and transport us back in time to the night that is almost beyond human comprehension—the night God came to earth as a baby to save all the world from sin and reconcile them back to Himself.

It was such a humble, yet powerful moment in time, just as the song lyrics relay:

Away in a manger,

No crib for a bed,

the little Lord Jesus

laid down his sweet head.

The stars in the sky

looked down where he lay,

the little Lord Jesus,

asleep on the hay. 

God relishes the opportunity to do something marvelous through unexpected means. We see this throughout the Bible when he chose David (the youngest and least likely of all his brothers) to be king of Israel, when he chose Joseph (a slave, then prisoner) to rule over Egypt, and Mary (a teenage virgin) to carry and give birth to Jesus. 

That’s why it is so important, as we seek God for His purpose in our own lives, that we do not despise small or humble beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Whatever God’s plan and purpose is for your life, He will be faithful to complete it if you are faithful to live according to His Word and believe. His plans for you are far more wonderful than you could ever imagine (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 3:20-21)!

This Christmas, whenever you’re tempted to think you aren’t special or that God couldn’t use you in a big way, think back on the night when Jesus was lying in a manger, not in a fancy crib in a palace, and turn the dial up on your faith. See the impossible happening in your life. God is a good God, and He wants you to fulfill your purpose. Put your full trust in Him this Christmas. Things may not transpire in a grand way, but they will always have a supernatural ending!