“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1)
Recently I watched “Nativity” on TV. I sometimes get bored watching Bible stories on TV…I just can’t relate to that time period, I can’t make it fit in with the world I’m in today, but this particular rendition of Jesus birth blew my mind. The entire time I was watching it, my stomach felt like a volcano ready to erupt, and I couldn’t stop the tears. I never realized how much Joseph and Mary had to go through. The humiliation they experienced in their community because of Mary’s ‘illegitimate’ pregnancy…the difficult journey they endured on their way to Bethlehem – Joseph’s feet were bleeding from the long walk. And then when they finally got there, Mary started experiencing contractions, and Joseph was running through the town with Mary in his arms, frantically looking for a place where she could give birth. Even though every moment leading up to Christ’s birth was God’s plan, they still were not given detailed directions as to where to go or what to do. God never even reserved a hotel room for them.
And then one scene of the movie shows Joseph standing in the desert, crying up to heaven saying “Please! Give me a sign so I know I’m doing the right thing!” And then… silence. He did not hear God’s voice thundering from heaven, or see any miraculous signs in the sky. Absolutely nothing happened, and he slowly walked away. Of course this is just the writer’s take on what might have happened all those years ago, but I think there is truth to it. Sometimes we just never know what it is God is up to, there is a mysterious shyness which is quietly and swiftly working on our behalf. There is so much activity in the spirit realm that we may never understand, and somehow, I don’t think we’re supposed to. This is where our quiet, resilient faith comes in. “Just trust Me” God says…”just trust Me.”
Of course we all know the story by heart and the humble beginnings on top of God being birthed in the flesh is enough to floor us…but there is so much more to this story than the Bible portrays, so much hardship and strife. When you compare that to your own life…your own personal hardships…well it’s incredibly amazing to look back and see that God was right in the middle of all the mundaneness, all the everyday struggles. It seems to me that we always expect God’s work to be ‘out of this world’ miraculous, almost magician style, but the most beautiful work He does is in the everyday ho hum, and sometimes it’s in our darkest hour. Sometimes God’s glory manifests not in a brilliant display of fireworks, but rather in a baby’s cry… in the hushed silence of false accusation and condemnation…in a painful moment of humiliation or rejection. God is so much more beautiful today than I thought He was yesterday, and tomorrow even more so.
And, like Joseph, at times we can’t grasp why things are unfolding the way they are. We cry, beg and plead for God to move, but sometimes the answer doesn’t come in the way we are expecting it to. It can seem like God is doing nothing, and how quickly the bitterness can take root when we don’t see any immediate response to our needs. But in those times we would do well to picture Joseph standing alone in the desert, crying up to the heavens for a sign. Little did he know the sign was about to be birthed right then and there.
I once read somewhere that all the pain and suffering we are going through, if offered up to God, will rise to His throne as a sweet, beautiful aroma that can be concerted no other way. Just as Jesus' pain and suffering led to the salvation of souls, so our trials if turned over to God will ultimately result in a beautiful work of art, made more lovely by the cracks and crevices of the disappointments and hurts that we bore. This world and everything in it are all part of God’s palette, and we must let Him paint His picture His way, and allow His glory and colorful creations to flow through us and around us. We are simply the brushes. Would you allow God to paint a beautiful picture with your life? Ah, it’s going to be breathtaking…
