All You Want for ChristmasSample

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” - Exodus 33:14

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” - Isaiah 26:3

Think

I’ve been waiting for that perfect window of time where all is quiet and peaceful so I can have a burst of inspiration to write a devotional to share with you all. But guess what? That time never came, and the due date is upon me. I often feel the same about Christmas time, a sense that if I could just find a way to hit the “pause” button, then I could conjure up the magic feelings to match the festivities.

Both examples remind me of a lesson God graciously teaches me time and time again: He is with me during the overwhelming seasons of life. His presence means I can experience His peace and have the wisdom of the Spirit to navigate life, even when it isn’t tidy or calm. Verse 3 of “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” resonates with how I have felt in recent years as my family and I have waded through grief, loss, and uncertainty.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way,

With painful steps and slow.

I imagine I am not the only one who can relate to the beginning stanzas of this verse, but it does not end there…

Look now! For glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing.

Oh, rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing!

There is deep rest to be found even alongside the road of our day-to-day lives. There are opportunities for us to turn our faces upward to behold the hopeful song of the angels. Even in this season of the “already, but not yet,” God meets us exactly where we are.

Apply

If you are anything like me, I encourage you to stop waiting for your circumstances to calm down, for that quiet evening to finally catch your breath, or for the magic of nostalgia to wash away the pain of the moment. Just take a moment to sit alongside your weary road and remember who Christ is and the immense hope that Jesus' birth represents.

Pray

Jesus, thank you for the incredible gift of coming as Immanuel—God with us. Thank you that your peace and hope can transcend our circumstances. Give me eyes to see your presence and ears to hear the glory of your hope in the midst of this busy, joyful, heavy, bright, hard season of Christmastime.

Author - Kelly Metzler attends Hershey Mennonite Church and serves on the board of The Factory Ministries. Her husband, Karl, and their children, Will and Laurel, love being a part of the Pequea Valley community.