Daily Devotional For Saturday, December 14, 2024
Today’s Christmas word is MIRACLE. Christmas is filled with miracles: the virgin birth, the star that led the wise men, the angels who appeared to the shepherds, all of the prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus’ birth, and of course, the incarnation — when God took on flesh and became one of us. Miracle after miracle. If there is one thing Christmas shows us, it’s that God is the God of miracles.
What is a miracle anyway? A miracle is when God steps into the impossible and makes it not just possible, but a reality. The Bible says, Nothing is impossible with God. That’s a Bible promise we all love to claim. But do you know the context of that promise? Do you remember who God gave that promise to? He gave it to Mary when he told her she was going to give birth to Jesus. God sent an angel to tell her a miracle was coming. Mary’s response is in Luke 1:34-37:
“Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (35) The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. (36) And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. (37) For nothing will be impossible with God.” (38) And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (NASB).
God gave Mary a promise, and she believed him. Mary took God at His word, surrendered to His will, and by faith, stepped forward into a miracle. Faith is placed in a person, not an outcome. Faith is believing something is true because you believe someone is truthful. Faith is not rational, it’s relational. If faith were merely rational, then we would stop believing when things didn’t make sense. But that is when faith kicks in.
What does it mean when the Bible says “nothing is impossible with God?” The word “nothing” is not referring to things or objects or events. The word “nothing” in this verse means “no word.” The Greek word is [ῥῆμα, rhema] and it means, “that which has been spoken by God.” So when the angel said, “nothing is impossible with God,” he is literally saying “no word spoken by God is impossible for God to accomplish.” If God says it, he can do it. The truth to capture here is this: no word of God will lack the power of God for its fulfillment.
If God says it, His power can accomplish it — no matter how impossible it seems. Consider the virgin birth. Talk about an impossibility! But if God can create life from the dust of the ground simply by the word of his mouth and the power of His Spirit, He can certainly create life in a virgin’s womb by the word of His mouth and the power of His Spirit.
What has God said to you that seems impossible? If God has said it, His word will not lack the power to fulfill it. Here is the lesson I want you to get: my impossibility is God’s opportunity. The question is, do I believe? And why does my faith matter, anyway? It’s because Jesus said this in Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith will it be done to you” (NIV). In other words, you get to decide what God does in your life. If God says something and you don’t believe him, you might be cheating yourself out of a miracle. In fact, in Matthew 13:58, the Bible says, Jesus “. . . did not do many miracles [in Nazareth] because of their lack of faith” (NLT).
So it appears that God’s actions in your life depend to a great degree on your faith. Hebrews 4:2 says, “The Good News [Gospel] was preached to us just as it was to them. But the ·teaching [message; word] they heard did not help them, because they heard it but did not accept [combine; join] it with faith” (EXB). 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says, “The word of God is at work in you who believe” (GNT).
That means when God’s word is combined with your faith, miracles happen. Mary could have said no. She could have said, “I don’t believe you. Find somebody else.” And God would have found someone else. The miracle would not have happened in Mary’s life. She would have missed God’s will. But Mary said in faith in Luke 1:38, “May it be to me according to your word” (NLT).
When Mary’s faith was combined with God’s word, the miracle happened. Are you looking for a miracle? Luke 1:45 summarizes all of this by speaking directly to women. It’s true for men, too, but I love that God speaks specifically to women with this promise: “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said” (NLT).
The story I am about to tell you is true. You may be wondering with our word for today being miracle, what this story has to do with it. If you read it, you’ll see. Christian author Bruce Thielemann writes this:
“Al Masters lives at the other end of our state. He's married and had a little boy and a small business. He considered himself very blessed. And then just before Christmas some years ago, his little boy was killed by a 15-year-old kid driving a car without a license. Al Masters was filled with a deep desire for revenge. And even though that youngster--15 years old--could not be brought before the full power of the law because he was a juvenile, Al Masters wanted the very book thrown at him.
Then, on Christmas Eve, his wife got him to come to the church. He listened to the story of the Word coming to the shepherds. He recognized that he was one of the world's ungood. And he began to weep. When he went out of the church, the next day, on Christmas, he set out to find out more about the boy who killed his son. He found that he came from a broken home, that he lived with his mother, who was an alcoholic. He went and he met the boy. He gave the boy a job in his shop, and then later took him into his home. And that boy, now a young man, says that Al Masters is the most saintly person he'd ever known” (Source: Bruce Thielemann).
Questions To Consider
- Mary believed God in spite of all the stress, gossip, slander anxiety, fear, confusion and the initial resentment and rejection by Joseph at the news of her pregnancy. She was a young teen, possibly 13-14 years old. Do you think it is easier to believe and trust God as a child or teen rather than an adult? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Mary accepted God’s miracle for her life rather than say, “I don’t believe you. Find somebody else”?
- If you have young children or teens as parents or grandparents, put a scenario together on the scale of Mary’s ask them if they would trust God with that and if so, why? If not, why?
- In the story told by Bruce Thielemann, who do you think got the Christmas miracle – Al Masters or that 15-year-old teen boy that killed Al Master’s young son? Why?
- Where in your life do you need to say to the Lord, “I am Your servant. May it be to me as You have said”?
Scripture To Meditate On: John 20:29, “Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen Me? The people who have faith in Me without seeing Me are the ones who are really blessed!” (CEV).
Prayer To Pray: “Lord, I worship you today as the God of miracles. My impossibility is Your opportunity. Nothing is impossible with You. What You say, You can and will do. Lord, help me to step out in faith and to take you at Your word. Help me not to be fearful, but to be faithful. I want to see miracles in my life. So I say to You, as Mary said so long ago, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as You have said.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly