A response to Then Came Jesus by Lara Williams :: Week 2, Day 3

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭13-18‬ NKJV)

Imagine you are one of the mothers living in the time of King Herod.  Imagine yourself as one of these three women: 1) A woman who thinks that God exists but doesn’t make time for Him or walk with Him daily; 2) a woman who knows that God exists but blames Him for every bad thing that happens and is mad at Him; or 3) a women who loves and respects her Lord, submits to His will, and relies on His grace. Now imagine your baby is ripped away from you. Which woman do you want to be? Could you have peace despite the tragedy?

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (‭II Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭7-10‬ NKJV)

To call the loss of a child a thorn in the flesh seems like a vast understatement.  However, I firmly believe the power of Christ can bring us peace no matter what the tragedy is that we are going through.  But I must ask myself, “Am I prepared for tragedy?”  Which of the three women mentioned above is prepared for the hardship.  God is quite capable of meeting each lady were she is, but who will find His rest, peace, strength, and grace sooner?  The woman who doesn’t make time for God? The woman who busies herself being angry at Him? Or the woman who relies on Him daily, tragedy or not?

May we each be a woman (or man) who relies on the Lord no matter what life may bring.

God in Heaven, may we understand that You are always good.  May we understand that Your grace is sufficient for us no matter what we are going through.  May we understand that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness.  May we rely on Your power not only in times of trouble, but before they arrive as well.  May we learn to walk with and rely on You always.  In Your name I pray, amen.

Are you reading Then Came Jesus or another advent study?  What is God revealing to you?  Please let me know by leaving a comment.  You can also find out more about Lara Williams and her book Then Came Jesus here.