What a very interesting year this
has been! I don't think anyone could have foreseen how different a
year 2020 turned out to be. So when I asked the Lord for a message
for Christmas 2020 He told me: Provision despite circumstances. And
when I thought of what happened right after Jesus' birth I realized
this to be true.
I am sure you all know of the three
wise men that visited Mary and Joseph right after the birth of
Jesus. God showed them a star and they followed the star from the
east until the star stopped over Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
They rejoiced with 'exceedingly great joy' as the Bible puts it and
they brought gifts to Mary and Joseph:
"And when they saw the young
Child with Mary His mother, they fell down and worshiped Him. And
when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:
gold, frankincense and myrrh." Matthew 2:11
They brought expensive gifts to
Jesus and I know that God led them to do that. Because right after
they left, God warned Joseph in a dream that Herod was coming to
kill Jesus. God warned him and told Joseph to flee to Egypt, which
he immediately did. Joseph was totally obedient to God and followed
all His commands.
Until now, I have never really
given thought to what happened, but I realized now that this must
have been a very stressful time for Joseph and Mary. Not only did
Herod try to kill their baby and most probably even them, but they
didn't have any money. We know that Joseph was a carpenter and that
he wasn't part of a wealthy family. He had to leave all he had
behind in Nazareth to travel to Bethlehem for the census. He
couldn't take much with him and Mary. He probably didn't expect
them to be gone that long. And now they had to flee unexpectantly
to Egypt. Now I assume they only took enough to last them for the
time that they will be in Bethlehem and they certainly didn't have
an ATM around the corner to draw money from for this unexpectant
turn of events. But God looked after them; He sent the wise men
with the gifts so that they had more than enough to go to Egypt and
to sustain them whilst they had to be there. God foresaw what was
going to happen and He provided for them despite the
circumstances.
And this year it was certainly true
for so many people. The amazing testimonies I have heard of how God
provided during this year was simply awe-inspiring. Our own
business didn't do well this year either. We had to live off 45% of
our normal income since the lockdown started. But God has been so
wonderful! People were so kind to us and we were so blessed in so
many areas. We could pay all our bills and can even go to the beach
this December. It is truly a testimony of how wonderful our God is
and that He always looks after us! He really does. If we are
walking in His ways, always looking up and asking for His guidance
we can be confident that He will lead us on the best pathways for
our lives. He will.
Many of the things that I have
feared will happen, happened this year. And yet God brought us
safely through it all. This gives me confidence and hope for the
future. It makes me realize that it doesn't help to stress about
things. God will provide, we simply need to trust Him. Joy is ours
for the taking. Despite a raging world all around us, joy is an
inside job. His Spirit is full of joy and He lives within us. Walk
hand in hand with Him knowing that He will always provide for us
and lead us onto higher ground. From there we have a bird's eye
view of our lives and can see His hand in it all clearly. I see
things so much differently now than I would have if 2020 had been
just smooth sailing. I truly do and I am grateful. Diamonds are
only formed through hardship. Slowly but surely the dirt is chipped
off of me and pieces of the diamond are getting visible and that
gives me courage to go on. May it inspire you too and may the
diamond within you shine out for all to see. May your life be an
inspiration.
Father, thank you that You are
always providing for us! Thank you that You are always there for
us, that You care for us and love us with an everlasting love. You
are a loving Father. Thank you for forming the diamonds in each of
us and leading us unto new heights in our lives. We love You.
Amen