Daily Devotional For Sunday, December 10, 2023

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 Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (NLT). 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. Look at at this in Luke 1:34-38, “And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (35) And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. (36)  And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. (37)  For nothing will be impossible with God.” (38) And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (NLT).

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 is the Greek New Testament word [ῥῆμα, rhema] and it means “no word.” The Greek word is “rhema” and it means, “that which has been spoken by God.”  And The Greek New Testament word used here for “nothing” is [ἀδυνατήσει, adunatesei or adynatesei]. In Greek, when the letter “a” is before some words it can mean “no, or not.” They root of this word is where we get our English word “dynamite.”  This verse says, “There is no word of God that will lack the power or dynamite to fulfill what God wants it to do.”

So when the angel says, “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. Jesus said this in Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith be it done to you” (NLT). The question is: do you believe this?” A second question you have to ask yourself is this: “Why does my father matter, anyway?” 

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, “And He (Jesus) did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief” (NLT). So it appears that God’s actions in your life depend to a great degree on your faith. 

Hebrews 4:2 says, “For Good News has also been proclaimed to us, just as it was to them. But the message they heard didn’t do them any good, because those who heard it did not combine it with faith and trust” (CJB). The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 2:13b, “The word of God is at work in you who believe” (NIV). 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, And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (NLT). 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).

Mary, upon hearing the Word of God from the Archangel Gabriel, did three things: (1) She believed the angel and God. (2) She surrendered to God’s will for her life with no protests or further explanations. (3) She stepped out in faith as the miracle began to grow inside of her knowing all the cultural and social issues that would arise with her being pregnant and not married. 

1. What is God telling you to do this Christmas?
2. Even if it seems challenging, God promises His power — His dynamite Word to help you with it?
3. Will you step out in faith regardless of what others may think and let God use you to bless others?

Scripture to Meditate On: Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (NLT).

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.”