This devotional is part of the 2020 Christmas Devotional Book, “The Gift.” Access the entire devotional and download your free copy by clicking here.
December 17
The Angels’ Song (Luke 2:13-14)
Hope is a necessary thing. It is not a luxury. It is not an option. We may need water and food and air to survive, but we need hope to thrive. So how do we have hope? Where is our hope found? In this dark world, is there a light at the end of the tunnel, or is that flicker an oncoming train?
In Psalm 42:5a, the Psalmist asks a very important question, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” In other words, life is hard! My spirit feels crushed! I am prone to discouragement! Under the tree of my life today I can see more hardships than blessings. What am I to do? Is your soul cast down today? Are you in turmoil?
The Psalmist continues with the solution to our down cast soul, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” The solution for our spirit today is hope for tomorrow.
Hope for tomorrow means that we do not believe that today (or yesterday) was the best things will ever be. We are tempted to think that our past was the “good old days.” As we age, we are also tempted to think that the end of our lives will only be about loss: loss of health, deaths of friends and families, activities we can no longer enjoy. With this perspective, our past or our present are the pinnacles of existence, and everything else is simply downhill. If our perspective is only earth bound, then there may be some truth to this existential depression. However, if we know the God of the universe, we have access to an unending hope . . . because our hope is anchored to something OUTSIDE this life.
God is eternal. When we “hope in God” we connect our perspective to Him. In eternity, we are saved. In eternity, our broken and breaking bodies are upgraded to an imperishable sort. In eternity, God richly provides for all our needs. In eternity, we do not sin or struggle. With this eternal perspective, we can have hope now!
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God demonstrated His intimate connection between the world in which we live and His eternal order. Jesus came here to give us a tangible and living hope, to provide a way for us to enter eternity. When we place our faith in Christ, we can have a hope today based on what He has promised us tomorrow. And Christmas is a reminder of that.
The Psalmist ends 42:5 by reminding us to demonstrate our hope in God by praising Him. This same hope of peace and good will from God to mankind, is sung about by the Angels on the night that Jesus was born. As you read Luke 2:13-14 today may your heart sing harmony with the Angels (and the Psalmists) praising God for all He has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ.
Suggested song for today: “Angels We Have Heard on High”
In this Christmas devotional, there is a song referenced for each day. All these songs, are included in a playlist found on Apple Music and Spotify at the following links:
- Apple Music Playlist: Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020
- Spotify Playlist: Wildwood Community Church Christmas 2020