Cloaked in the darkness of the theater, tears streamed down my cheeks. The questions asked by the Herdman children in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever caused something within me to break open. Having never heard the Christmas story – not ever – the Herdmans were entranced. Confused. Mortified! How could an innkeeper not give a pregnant woman a room? Why did the parents put their newborn in a feeding trough? Did the angels kill that awful King Herod who murdered all those babies?
For us, the overly familiar story of that first Chrismtas does not elicit such baffled bewilderment. But the kids’ reactions reminded me with a tenderness that Jesus’ birth narrative isn’t all shiny stars and singing celestial beings.
It’s also raw. And rough.
Inspired by such indignant inquiries, I began imagining myself in Mary’s place: Third-trimester-pregnant, riding a donkey for ninety miles, and no room available when all I want to do is rest my swollen feet after such a trip. Then labor pains begin as I lay in hay. Um. I’d be in tears – the desperate, discouraged kind. I’d be questioning God and complaining. At least a little bit. 😉 I’d be worried about cleanliness and my husband delivering my baby. How would we cut the cord? Where would we wash the newborn? All. The. Questions.
I imagine that after nine months of waiting, this surely would not have been the place Mary would have hoped to deliver the Son of God. Nothing in Luke 2, however, gives us an indication as to how Mary handles herself in this less than ideal situation. But, we do read that when the shepherds come to visit her wee Wonder, telling their stories of angelic beings filling the sky and singing of His birth, she treasures everything she sees and hears in her heart (v.19). She ponders them.
No hint of discouragement – just the quiet wonder of joy.
The Choice in Waiting
Much in life can discourage – plans go awry, pain sears, pride gets pricked, purposes hide. When we think life is headed in one direction then takes a sudden left turn, we’re left scratching our heads and picking up the pieces. We wait for answers, for help, for hope. And we wait some more.
God’s Word illuminates these moments and seasons of waiting with regularity:
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62:5 ESV
There are times our seasons of waiting require stillness or silence – but maybe not in the way we might think. It’s not that we’re unheard. It’s that waiting in silence is a response to the awe we have for God.1 Whether we’re “mourning, reflecting, or anticipating God’s action,” often waiting is a quiet endeavor because it comes from a heart that holds great expectancy for God to move.1
“From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 64:4 ESV
There’s much we can learn from the ancient Hebrews, especially when it comes to waiting. No other people group has ever been so faithful in their waiting for God to show up and do His thing. In fact, it would seem, God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. In the Hebrew language and way of thinking, waiting and hoping were inseparable. Their “faith and trust in God’s timing and promises” kept their spirits alive and full of expectation in their lengthy times of waiting.2
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalm 27:14 ESV
And, perhaps the greatest lesson we can take away from our word study today is that waiting for the Lord is not passive. Rather, it’s us stepping into “a confident expectation of God’s intervention or fulfillment of His promises.”3 It’s an eager anticipation that I liken to the looking forward to Christmas Day with all the hope and joy of a child – wide-eyed, full of wonder, hardly able to contain ourselves because we trust that every gift under the tree is good.
How often do we wait in such a way? How often do we think of such seasons as waiting for God?
If we were to shift our view of waiting to one of eager anticipation, we truly would be stronger, and our hearts would be full of courage (Psalm 27:14). Rather than being dis-courage-d, we’d be en-courage-d – because we trust that we are simply waiting on God’s timing and purposes. The season might be long, but it is not wasted, for God is doing a work within us even as He is working out our circumstances.
That’s what Paul means when he says, “we rejoice in our sufferings” because we know that “suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4). Waiting might mean God is preparing us or preserving us or helping us to persevere with hope, faith…and joy.
And this kind of joy isn’t necessarily happy, full of laughter, or giddy. Rather, it’s a deeper gladness that finds its source not in our circumstances but in our Maker.
I cannot face the mystery
from Jon Guerra’s song, “Nazareth”
I cannot change the history
But I name the love behind everything
When I praise the One from Nazareth
It’s so easy to allow discouragement to steal our joy. When we feel stuck in the waiting and our wheels seem to spin uselessly, the desire to give-in to dark cynicism tempts us to refuse the joy of the Lord. Sure, it might be true that we can’t change the mystery of our season or situation, but there is much we can do while we wait. And maybe the most important is to cease rehearsing and rehashing all the hard and horrible – and, instead, name “the love behind everything.” If we’ll worship instead of wallow, we’ll discover a joy in our waiting that we didn’t think possible.
The Choice of Joy
Just as joy is not dependent on our feelings or our circumstances, neither is praise. Our call to rejoice in the Lord defies the natural instincts within us. Paul doesn’t exhort us to rejoice in the Lord when the mood strikes us or when things go our way. He tells us to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4).
If we happen to be uncertain about Paul’s call to re-joy-ce, we only have to turn to the prophet Habakkuk to understand that praising God is not circumstantial:
“Though the fig tree does not bud
Habakkuk 3:17-18
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
In other words, there is joy to be had even in the darkest of nights. Mary models this sort of joy in the way she responds to God’s call to become the mother of the Messiah.
Despite the fact that she is an unwed, pregnant teenager in a small town where everyone knows everything about each other, Mary remains faithful to serve and obey the Lord no matter the cost. We can imagine the whispers about this holy mother – even outright mistreatment of her because she was ‘obviously guilty of infidelity’. Through it all, Mary chooses not to magnify her fear or uncertainty; rather, she magnifies God (Luke 1:46b).4
Mary’s Magnificat demonstrates the heart of a woman who worships the God she trusts (Luke 1:46-55), singing for all to hear, “my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (v.47). Regardless of her discomfort, Mary praises her Lord – because her joy is not rooted in what she can see but in “the unchanging love of God.”4 And that is a joy that withstands.
Mary knows that God is the source of joy – that all joy is found in Him.5 When we’re struggling and suffering, God remains the source of our joy, as well. And it’s beyond feeling, above circumstance, and within our purview to choose.
In that way, joy is a choice. We rejoice in the One whose love for us is unchanging, unwavering and whose plans are for our good.
The Choice of Christmas
May tears stream down our cheeks as we realize, perhaps for the first time, that this innocent, fragile baby came into the world the way He did – for us. The Creator of the universe left everything that was His in order to become ours. The Ancient One came as a newborn infant with all the smells and sounds of every baby ever, hiding Himself among all the other ancient near eastern families so that He could live inside the same flesh and blood we do, so that He could die lifted up on a cross – and in our hearts.
This is our joy. And our choice this Christmas.
We can recall Mary’s silent response, as well as her worshipful rejoicing. She lived fully aware that nothing she faced or felt would never change the miracle of her pregnancy or the fact that the son born to her was Messiah. Like Mary we can choose not to worry because the One who has brought us to this place and season will meet our needs. We, too, can align our hearts with the Father’s, set our minds on trusting Him, and allow our faith to root us in God’s love. Whether we’re wondering when the waiting will end or why God has us where He does, we can live with a joy birthed from faith in our Father.
May the God of all joy disperse every ounce of discouragement that threatens to rob you of all that He has for you in the here and now – especially this week as we remember and rejoice in His Son’s birth.
Let us pray:
The feast day of your birth resembles You, Lord
Because it brings joy to all humanity.
Old people and infants alike enjoy your day.
Your day is celebrated
from generation to generation.
Kings and emperors may pass away,
And the festivals to commemorate them soon lapse.
But your festival
will be remembered until the end of time.
Your day is a means and a pledge of peace.
At Your birth heaven and earth were reconciled,
Since you came from heaven to earth on that day
You forgave our sins and wiped away our guilt.
You gave us so many gifts on the day of your birth:
A treasure chest of spiritual medicines for the sick;
Spiritual light for the blind;
The cup of salvation for the thirsty;
The bread of life for the hungry.
In the winter when trees are bare,
You give us the most succulent spiritual fruit.
In the frost when the earth is barren,
You bring new hope to our souls.
In December when seeds are hidden in the soil,
The staff of life springs forth from the virgin womb.
(a prayer by St. Ephraim the Syrian on the Nativity of Jesus)
Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.
- 1 – From this site for damam.
- 2 – From this site for chakah.
- 3 – From this site for qavah.
- 4 – Wake Up Call, Mark Sorensen 12/12/24
- 5 – Tim Keller in his book, Hidden Christmas,^ p.10
- Our Hiddenness Advent playlist is full of so many great songs and artists. But some go the extra distance, creatively speaking, with words. For instance, I love the way MercyMe, in their song “Joy,” takes the lyrics of “Joy to the World” and spins it anew, adding lyrics that just rock my soul:
Repeat the sounding joy:
Glory in the highest
Holiness has become like us
To be like Him
And so begins
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
God with us
Oh come let us adore Him
- The Abiding Life newsletter will be coming out at the beginning of the year! You can still subscribe for future issues here.
Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days because developing rhythms is one way to aid us in quest to become more like Christ.
- It’ll be a full week — in more ways than one — so I know finding moments to be still and silent will be few, but the wonder comes even in the midst of the busyness or solitude. As children’s eyes open in awe. Or a hug lingers a little longer. Or the story of Christ’s birth is read with new eyes. May we each reflect on the moments that hold the promise of joy so that joy roots itself in our hearts and souls forever.
- And while it’s not a spiritual practice or rhythm, I invite you to share this site. This is such an important topic that I want as many people as possible to join us here. Together we’ll find support and encouragement and the simple truth that we are not alone in our struggles.
Featured Photo by Matthias Cooper on Unsplash.
^denotes an affiliate link, with which this ministry may earn a bit
I’m loving this series Shelley! Interesting that you saw “Best Christmas Pageant Ever!” I bought the children’s picture book version to read to the grandchildren (and me if I’m honest) because I didn’t know the story!! I love these children’s questions too!! Makes you pause!! I love how you so beautifully remind us where our joy comes from and how we can wait with God no matter our circumstances and there we will find joy!! I’m definitely sharing with others. Merry Christmas!
Always my encourager. 🥹🎄♥️💚
You know the hardship I’m going through. Thank you for reminding me that Joy is in God and God is in me. Much love!