December 22, 2021
Praying Partners,
Thank you for your commitment to pray each Wednesday for our prodigals and for revival.
Regardless of how things may appear, God is always at work. He is working when life is good as well as when things are going horribly wrong, in moments of joy and despair alike, in the uneventful mundane times of life and also in the momentous memorable ones. God is always at work.
The events surrounding the first coming of Jesus are a good reminder of this. In fact, His coming was planned long before the world began (1 Peter 1:20). Before the creation of the universe, before humans, before the problem of sin, God was quietly, mysteriously at work, anticipating this day when the Savior of the world would arrive on planet Earth to bring redemption.
Imagine the preparation that was required by the eastern magi in order to make that long journey from Persia to Judea. In the preceding years, God was active in their lives, stirring them, motivating them, and ultimately moving them, so that they would arrive just at the proper time (Matthew 2:1-12). God is always at work.
There’s the birth of John the Baptist. Over nine months prior to this, the angel Gabriel made a surprise visit to Zechariah the priest, with the announcement that he would have a child in his old age. While Zechariah and Elizabeth were enjoying closeness and intimacy in marriage, God was performing His miracle (Matthew 1:5-25). God is always at work.
The conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary was the greatest miracle of all. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with a child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). The birth of Jesus was a divine act by a divine person — placing Jesus into the womb of Mary. God is always at work.
The shepherds were out in the field one night under an open sky, looking after their sheep. It was an unexciting, regular night of performing the necessary tasks involved in tending sheep, when all of a sudden the glory of God surrounded them and the heavens were filled with angels (Luke 2:8-18). God is always at work.
A baby boy in the town of Bethlehem? What could be more common? His birth may have been unexceptional in the sense of a baby being born, but it was far from ordinary. The ancient prophecies of Scripture, the conditions of Israel under Roman domination, the taxation that required Joseph and Mary to leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem were all evidence of God working behind the scenes (Luke 2). God is always at work.
C. S. Lewis’ allegorical story of Narnia has similar tones. The magical land of Narnia was under the cold spell of winter. The state of the land was “always winter and never Christmas." Animals were dying, fear was spreading, the enemy was dominating, and it appeared as if the mighty lion, Aslan, had all but forsaken the land. This was far from the truth. All through those long, desperate years, he was working and at just the right time when the Pevensie children arrived, the beavers relayed the news that Aslan was on the move.
Maybe this sense of God not working visibly has been your experience. Life filled with uncertainty? Sleepless nights of stress and anxiety? Hardships and difficulties too many to number? Family problems? Church troubles? Personal battles unknown to anyone? Loneliness? Rejection? Isolation? The list doesn’t seem to have an end. Through it all, perhaps you are wondering what is God doing, why is this happening, or where is He anyway?
We don’t understand it all. We cannot see it all. Our human perspective is limited, but our God is eternal. He has a plan. He knows what He is doing. He is always working — behind us, before us, around us, and in us. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
The song “Waymaker,” first sung by the Nigerian singer, Sinach, then popularized by Michael W. Smith, Leeland, and other music groups, gives the same message: God is always at work.
Notice some of the lyrics —
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
You are Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are
You are here, touching every heart
I worship You
I worship You
Even when I don't see it, You're working
Even when I don't feel it, You're working
You never stop, You never stop working
May you sense the closeness of His presence throughout this Christmas season and live with this awesome understanding — God is always at work!
Merry Christmas
Bryan and Rachel