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Lana Vawser
“For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
I
sit here with my favorite tea in my favorite tea cup watching the flame of a
candle flickering away and my heart is filled with wonder as I ponder the birth
of Jesus.
When
we take a moment to truly stop and think about this life-changing, transforming
truth that John 3:16 encompasses, that powerful truth reveals incredible love
for humankind that began in a stable.
The
Son of God, fully God and fully man, a supernatural conception by the Holy
Spirit, birthed through His mother Mary to come to earth to restore eternal
salvation, forgiveness of sin, and relationship between God and humankind.
Our
beautiful Jesus, born in a manger.
As
I have pondered the Christmas story over the last year, there was one line in
the story that I could not move past.
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped
him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place
for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
“When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor,
and there she gave birth to her firstborn son. After wrapping the newborn baby
in strips of cloth, they laid him in a feeding trough since there was no
available space in any upper room in the village” (Luke 2:7 TPT).
Those words, “There was no place for them” — I
was surprised by the cry that came out of my heart as I read those words: “God,
in everything I do, in every area of my life, I want to make room for You. I
never want to be in a place where there is a move of Your Spirit and I have not
cultivated my life in a way that makes room for You.”
Our
God is the God of the unexpected. Imagine being one of the shepherds in the
field in Luke 2:8-12 (TPT):
“That night, in a field near Bethlehem, there were
shepherds watching over their flocks. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared
in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory
of God, and the shepherds were terrified!
“But the angel reassured them, saying, ‘Don’t be
afraid. For I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world
has ever heard!
“’And it is for everyone everywhere! For today in
Bethlehem rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah, You
will recognize him by this miracle sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips
of cloth and lying in a feeding trough!’”
The
God of the suddenly!
The
Messiah has been born!
Would
those shepherds have been anticipating in their usual nightly routine of
tending sheep, that an angel from Heaven would show up and decree the greatest
good news the world has ever heard?
I
doubt it! But in that moment, Heaven invaded earth.
In
that moment, the supernatural manifested into the natural realm that would
leave them and the entire world forever changed.
Imagine
the wonder they would have felt looking into the eyes of that angel who was
blazing with the glory of the Lord.
Imagine
the wonder when they found baby Jesus in the stable and they knew He was the
Messiah, witnessing the Rescuer born for them.
Those
shepherds would have walked away from that encounter with that angel and went
straight-away to find the baby.
Staring
into the face of baby Jesus, they undoubtedly remained forever changed. Marked
for life. Transformed.
It
fills my heart with wonder and my eyes with tears as I ponder the privilege it
was for those shepherds to be invited in that time of history into witness the
greatest demonstration of God’s power and His hand of mercy that the world had
ever seen.
It
births a cry in me and a hunger to know Him, to lay my life down again, a fresh
surrender to Him that He would use my life in any way He chooses to extend His
Kingdom and see the Good News of the Gospel spread around the earth — that the
whole world would be filled with the knowledge of the glory and goodness of God
(Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV).
That
my little life would be used to lift the name of Jesus high and see multitudes
come to know His love and saving grace.
But
what if He shows up in a way I don’t expect? What if He moves in a way that
“breaks boxes”?
What if His ways are completely different from mine?
Am I someone who lives in the position of 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT)? “The
eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose
hearts are fully committed to him….”
So
overwhelmed by His love and the hope of the world that was manifested in the
birth of Jesus Christ, that when He grew to be a man, who then died in my
place, paid for my sin, and bridged the gap between God and humankind so I
could have everlasting life and know Him intimately and walk in everything that
is mine in Christ, so undone by these truths, my heart responds with
“God, my life is fully Yours. My heart is completely
Yours. I yield to You, to Your ways. Teach me to be someone who discerns the
move of Your hand in the unexpected ways You move. Teach me to be someone who
knows Your ways. May You find room in my life to display Your glory and see
Your Kingdom extended and Jesus receive His full reward.”
That’s
my prayer for you today, friend. That you would hear His heart of love in the
Christmas story.
That
you would be left in wonder and awe again of the radical, never-ending,
relentless, unconditional love of God that He came to earth as a baby — for you
and for the world.
Invitation
May you continue to “make room” for Him in your life.
May you continue to live your life yielded to His
ways, inviting Him to move in however and whatever way He chooses because you
want Him above all else, because in those “unexpected ways” He moves are the
places where you and I are filled with awe and wonder of who He is and just how
majestic He is.
May we be people who have eyes to see and ears to
hear. There’s a whole new world of wonder upon you!
Lana Vawser grew up in the Sutherland Shire, in NSW,
Australia. She began her relationship with Christ in 1996, soon after which she
started to understand and grow in her prophetic gifting both to individuals and
the greater body of Christ. Since then she has ministered in various roles in
local churches while posting prophetic messages through email lists or online.
From 2014 Lana has been featured regularly on The Elijah List, The Australian
Prophetic Council, and occasionally in Charisma Magazine.
https://www.destinyimage.com/2019/11/15/make-room-for-the-wonder/
A King Is Born
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