You must admit that God chooses some unexpected places to show up. Bethlehem might have seemed unpromising enough; but in the stable of the local Inn? No one would have guessed that.
Then there was the continuation of Ruth’s life and the ancestral line of the Messiah; the place for her to meet her husband was where the needy gathered leftover grain in the fields. She was going about the daily business of life while working for subsistence. God wanted more for her, and had a special place in His family, just for her.
God With Us
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
~ Revelation 3:20
Perhaps this is because God doesn’t choose a specific place, but the heart that seeks Him. Those who choose to worship the Lord will find He shows up in their lives, though it may not be as they imagined. (Or perhaps they didn’t imagine it would happen at all!)
The name given to the Christ in the prophecy of Isaiah was “Immanuel” or “God with us”. Why might that have been? If the Old Testament examples are examined, it makes me think that God was telling us He wanted a close fellowship. Meeting on daily, moment by moment, basis, rather than only occasionally on holy holidays or once a week in a Temple.
Show Up in Someone’s Life
[su_box title=”Share some time” style=”default” box_color=”#8ba9bd” title_color=”#000000″ radius=”3″ class=””]Enjoy some coffee or cocoa with someone today. Convey to them their importance to you. [/su_box]
List of Past Devotionals for this Day
- Peace Within, 2015
- The Creche 2014
- Hearts of Love, taking a child’s perspective in 2013
- Sheaf of Wheat from 2011 Jesse Tree devotions.
- A Christmas Cup 2010 overflowing with ideas of God’s “love language”
- The Annunciation, Promises Believed 2009
