Christmastime brings up all kinds of emotions for different people. For many, it is the happiest time of the year as they celebrate with family and friends, partaking in all kinds of festivities all around them. However, for others, Christmas isn’t the most wonderful time of the year. It can mean an especially dark season, whether it brings up the reminders of a loved one who has since passed, or is a time when the enemy has decided to attack with financial, relational, health or other troubling issues. So how do we navigate such a time of year when we’re feeling completely attacked and down?
The first thing to remember is that no matter what you’re facing, no matter what things look like, God is working in the middle of the storm.
Just as the first Christmas made absolutely no sense in the natural, God was working the greatest miracle ever in the most peculiar way possible. The Jewish people were expecting a Messiah who was going to be a mighty warrior that would take down the Roman Empire, and instead, a baby born in a stable is what they got. The deliverance they thought they needed isn’t what they got, but God gave them something even better. The chance to be fully set free from all bondages came in the form of this most humble gift of a child in a manger. While God can be hard to see in the middle of the storm, and the way He chooses to fix, heal or bring deliverance may not make any sense, He will bring about a plan that is even greater than anything we could have expected. The storm may be rocky, but when your eyes are locked on Jesus, He will guide you down the exact path you need to be on, even if it doesn’t make sense or align with your own vision. He can be trusted.
The second thing to remember is that God is in the middle of hard things.
One of the most common misconceptions about Christianity is that once you commit your life to Jesus suddenly everything will become easier and life will be a complete breeze. This could not be further from the truth. Once you decide to give your life to Him, He will ask hard things of you. He will ask that you give up some things to chase after His righteousness. There’s a reason that Jesus said, “If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me,” (Matt. 16:24). Life will not become easier with Jesus, but rather more difficult. However, it will all be worth it. Whether He’s asking hard things of you this Christmas, nudging you to share your faith, remember that He’s in these situations. Jesus did the hardest thing that anyone could ever imagine—He was beaten and stricken for our transgressions. He was pierced with nails in His hands and His feet to a cross to die a death that He did not deserve, completely innocent—all for the sake of you and I.
The third thing to remember is that no one understands our pain better than Jesus does.
There is no one that we can turn to who understands our pain better than Jesus does. He fully experienced the things that we experience. If you’re experiencing grief this Christmas, remember that the shortest verse in Scripture is “Jesus wept,” which came from when He saw that His dear friend Lazarus had died. If you’re feeling heartbroken and rejected, remember that Jesus was not even accepted in His hometown. Even more, He was abandoned by His disciples, including being denied by Peter three times. If you’re feeling tested and tried by the enemy, remember that Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness after fasting for 40 days and nights. There is nothing that we experience that He cannot relate to. What’s more is that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God praying for us right now. Jesus is praying for you (Rom. 8:34). There is no better intercessor who could be praying for you than the perfect Lamb of God Himself.
So remember, if you’re feeling spiritually attacked, down, depressed or are experiencing grief and turmoil, Jesus is able to help you not only resist temptation, but He is capable of healing the deepest wounds and turning everything around for the good of those who love Him.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.
Brian Barcelona