“Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.” - 1 Chronicles 16:27
This Christmas season, don’t get so discouraged by the darkness that you forget to gaze at the light. It’s Christmas! Jesus HAS come, and he IS coming again.
It’s common in the haze of the battlefield to lose your orientation. We can get turned around by the canon fire of evil, disappointed by the ethical fading in our community, heartbroken by scandals that touch our churches, and traumatized by the brutality of hatred and slander. We knew all this was coming. Jesus warned, “everything that can be shaken will be shaken.”
So lift up your eyes and look to your King; he is head and shoulders above the smoking chaos. See him regal and on his war horse. See him seated on his throne this Christmas. David said, “splendor and majesty” are before him. The darkness threw everything at him and could not overcome his meekness; how, then, will they overcome his strength? His gentleness shakes the bowels of hell. When he returns in the full cavalcade of his love, there will be a great sorting out. The eels will be dragged out with a net. The justice bashers will shrivel like summer worms on cement.
Jesus is the Great Judge and protector of his people. He does not make deals with devils or entertain lies. He is not deceived by schemers or bought by abusers. He does not dismiss the case of the neglected, and he will not tolerate the proud. His eyes pry into every corner and know every knowledge. His decisions are flawless. The legal pundits declare, “true and just are your judgments.”
“Strength and joy” are about him. Are you, dear friend, being sucked dry by the life-sappers and mockers? Lift your eyes to the inexhaustible joy of Jesus. Worship him in the bleak midwinter. His prismatic beauty still radiates out of the darkness. His light does not fade, his joy outlasts pain, and all he has built in the quietness of love will be revealed as a masterpiece in one instant. The terrifying towers of humanism will vanish in one great collapse. But his love grows inch by inch and yard by yard until it devours every heart and every acre of earth with his wonders. The crystal rivers of his purity will nourish the planet with his perfect goodness again.
Love is hidden and born in a manger. Love is bold and flipping over the tables. Love is quiet and washing feet. Love is protective and red in the face. Love is slow to anger and carefully considered. Love is honest and comforting to the grief-stricken. Love is Jesus, the seeker of the lowborn and the offender of the proud. His embrace will shake your soul and melt the winter of sin. The quiet baby in the manger is the High King of Heaven. Gaze in wonder at his mesmerizing majesty.
Tags: love, light, christmas season, lift up your eyes, high king
