The Year of the Lord’s Favor (Prayer Devotional for the week of December 30, 2012)

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Sitting by the fireplace the other evening, I watched the last flame flicker out and thought about the year coming to a close. As the fire died and a small chunk of log smoldered red in the grate, Gungor’s song, “Beautiful Things” came to my mind. In case you aren’t familiar, it’s about God taking the windswept, chaotic trials of our lives and turning them into wondrous, new things that bring him glory. God sweeps up the dust – the ashes, if you will – the burned up remnants of pain and suffering that we would like nothing more than to forget about and toss out, and then he creates something beautiful and enduring out of it.

I think this song has been on my mind partly because, to be completely honest, the holidays are difficult for me. I ache with grief that feels almost like a physical pain. I mask it pretty well between Thanksgiving and Christmas by focusing on the nativity story and enjoying the kids’ wonderment, but then New Year rolls around. As each New Year approaches, I want to join in the festivities but it’s difficult to feel like celebrating when my heart hurts, and January 1st just serves as a harsh reminder that another year has flown by without my brother.

And yet, God can take my sorrow and transform it into peace, and even joy. I know this because I’ve experienced it time and time again, and best of all: I know that my mourning is not forever.

In Isaiah 61, the prophet describes for the Israelites what things will look like in The Year of the Lord’s Favor. In addition to much-anticipated remedies like rebuilding their city and releasing captives from their enemies, Isaiah talks about wearing “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (v. 3, NIV). God is going to take heartache and turn it into delight!

If you are looking forward to the New Year with happy spirits and your chin held high, then marvelous for you! I encourage you to focus on making 2013 your personal Year of the Lord’s Favor by putting him first and foremost in your life and rejoicing in your blessings. If, on the other hand, you are feeling more like I described earlier and the New Year doesn’t seem particularly celebratory, then I hope you will find encouragement in knowing that whatever trials you are going through, the pain will not last forever. The heartache may ebb and flow, but know this: God has already written the last chapter, and he is our Victory over sin and death. Now that is something worth celebrating!

In Uncertain Times (Prayer Devotional for the week of December 23, 2012)

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Have you ever felt like life was spiraling out of control? Boy, I sure have! I’ve learned the hard way never to ask myself, “What else could go wrong?” Sometimes, life just doesn’t go the way we planned.

When I think about the Christmas story and try to put myself in Mary’s shoes, I really feel for her. Here’s this young woman, unexpectedly pregnant and facing a truly life-or-death situation if her fiancé wanted to press charges against her. She’s not in control of anything. Her marriage was arranged, in the first place … her pregnancy was prophesied, but it is still a scandalous situation … and yet, she takes everything in stride.

We read in Luke 1 that when Mary visited her relative Elizabeth (mother-to-be of John the Baptist) in Judea, she stuck around for a few months before heading home to Nazareth. Finally, in her last couple of trimesters, Mary has a chance to settle down and prepare for her firstborn. She probably calls on the help of her sister, mother and/or a local midwife to be on call. Joseph has gotten over the initial shock of her pregnancy by now, and they are getting used to each other as husband and wife. As crazy as the past few months have been for them, perhaps things are starting to feel somewhat “normal.”

And then, Caesar Augustus throws a wrench in her plans. The one thing that Mary thinks she can finally control – where she would give birth – turns into chaos yet again. She and Joseph have to prepare for a trek all the way to Bethlehem for a national census to appease the Romans in charge. We have the benefit of knowing the rest of the story, about how it all worked out according to God’s plan, but imagine being in Mary and Joseph’s shoes in that moment – uprooted and uncertain about the next few hours, much less tomorrow or the day after that!

I love the way The Message translates Proverbs 19:21, “We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but GOD’s purpose prevails.” As out-of-control as our lives may feel at any given moment, we can look to the bizarre situation that Mary and Joseph found themselves in and be reminded that we all deal with uncertainties. At some point, we will come face-to-face with the choice to trust God or keep trying (in vain) to manage things our own way. Heed Mary & Joseph’s example and let God take the lead.