Category: Daily Bread

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” ¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ~ Luke 2:8-18

The shepherds were in the fields watching their flock by night. They were right where they needed to be. They were doing their job as they were supposed to. They could’ve called it a night and ended their day early. Instead, they stayed at their post. They stayed where they were supposed to be, and God honored their dedication by sending an angel to them. When the angel appeared, they were terrified. They didn’t know what to do. They were in the fields, so there was nowhere to run or even hide. Little did they know that great fear would soon turn to great joy, for the Messiah had come to redeem all peoples.

Sometimes, good news and God’s plan for your life are initially scary, but if you remain in His path and put your trust in Him, God will reward that faithfulness with the fulfillment of that Good News. This Christmas, continue in your call, regardless of what you have going on. Continue in your race regardless of how tiring it may be. The LORD will honor your diligence. Then, when the opportunity for your reward comes, don’t allow fear to keep you from it. The Devil will always try to strike fear into your heart before the LORD rewards you and blesses you with a harvest you were not even expecting.

I doubt the shepherds went out the night expecting to see the newborn savior of the world. How amazing of a gift. You started the night with work and ended it with rejoicing and witnessing the greatest prophecy being fulfilled right before their eyes. Continue in your call; you never know how the LORD will reward you for your dedication.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Watch By Night.

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. ~ Luke 2:10-11

I want you to really think about what Mary was going through when the angel came to her. She was an unmarried woman. She was betrothed to a man, and now she was pregnant. She had to convince not just her family but her fiancé that she had not been unfaithful to him. This wasn’t like today, either. During Mary’s day and age, this offense that she seemed to be guilty of was punishable by death. Not a quick death either, but being stoned to death. How terrifying. No evidence or proof did she have that could keep her safe from man’s judgment, yet she didn’t give into fear. She boldly told the angel, “Let it be done to me as you have said.”

Mary could have easily said this burden is to heavy for me to hold. My shoulders aren’t strong enough. I can’t do this. This is too much for me. And God, being the free-will God He is, would have accepted her refusal and used someone else. Mary didn’t have to accept this frightening task from God, but she did. She chose to accept this terrifying call of giving birth to the Messiah. The Son of the Living God.

Dear LORD, please help me to accept the call You have for my life, regardless of what it is. Regardless of how hard, dangerous, terrifying, or too heavy it may seem to me. Teach me to trust You enough that I might follow the path You have laid before me. Help me to have faith and dwell in Your perfect love that casts out all fear. Please, LORD, don’t allow me to miss out on what You have for me because of fear. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.