Make Room for the Wonder

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! Suddenly an angel appeared in radiant splendor and the shepherds were terrified, but out of his mouth comes the greatest proclamation the world has ever heard, “Don’t be afraid, for I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard!” 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.

The wonder that fills my heart, the awe that bubbles up inside me as I reflect on the life-changing truth that Almighty God humbled Himself and came to earth as a baby for me, for you. 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.”

My heart overflows with love for Him and what He did for me—for you!

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!