"Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in my Lord and Savior! For he took notice of a lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy. His mercy goes on from generation after generation, to all who fear Him. His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones! He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel! For He promised our ancestors-- Abraham and his children-- to be merciful forever." Luke 1:46-55
Mary sang this out with great joy when she met with Elizabeth, praising God for blessing her with a son, and for entrusting her with His only son. Some people think that Mary was bring prideful, but she wasn't. She was accepting the position and gift God had given her with humbleness and joy, and giving Him praises for all that He is and all He has done for her. How would you feel if someone didn't accept a gift because you felt it was too much? what if they sent it back? Wouldn't that hurt? Just yesterday I received my birthday present from my best friend Ashlyn and her mother, they sent me a laptop. It was far more then ever expected when she told me she was sending me a gift, she said it was to help with my schoolwork, which I had admitted to her I was having trouble with. It stirred my heart so deeply. I didn't know what to say to her but thank you. It was a great blessing from God to receive such a gift. I wanted to sing out in thanks, but I figured that I didn't want to scare Ashlyn with my horrible singing, since she was on the phone with me when I opened my present.
"I love you Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold. I will call on the Lord who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies" Psalm 18:1-3
The book of Psalm is filled with so many beautiful songs singing praises to God, more and more lately I have felt my heart singing out to Him, praising Him for everything he has bestowed upon me, his child. I want to burst out into song when I hear good news for my friends and family, even complete strangers, which they did a lot back in biblical times. Music is such a huge part of our lives. So if you feel the need burst out into song, sing to your heart's content, cry out your joyful noise. I found myself having a hard time communicating with God, I felt like my prayers were hitting the ceiling? have you ever felt like that? I talked to my friend William, he suggested a few things. He said to try dancing, drawing, writing, or even singing to Him, God will listen to what I have to say, I just had to break through that mental barrier I'd put up. It worked wonders for me, so why don't you give it a try?
"But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry reached his ears" Psalm 18:6
I have been listening to the song Let it go from Disney's Frozen, mostly the version by Demi Lovato (Her voice is so beautiful)
And I can't help thinking about how Elsa felt to be free, and how much I want that myself. I know much of how she felt, even though I am the youngest. I had to struggle to be the "Good girl" to be what everyone else wanted me instead of what God wanted me to be. The mask I wore to please the people around me almost became permanent, along with the torture in my heart, but God revealed Himself to me, saying this was not who I was meant to be, nor should I try to be anyone else but who I am. Relief was one of the many things felt when Christ began filling my heart and soul. So let go of the past, let God's peace and freedom envelope you, for He will take all your fears and pains to a place where they an never reach you again.
There are so many ways to celebrate Christ, don't miss the chance to praise him for all the wonderful blessings He has placed before your very eyes, you never know if He's setting down another one, maybe even under the Christmas tree.
Coming soon to Figment.com, a devotional inspired by God and written by Kaitlyn W.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment