With Christmas comes a whole lot of feelings and emotions. Feelings of nostalgia and joy, and also emotions like grief and loneliness. The holidays are an interesting season, and it encapsulates the beauty of family, joy, stress, sadness, and everything else in between. For some, the holidays feel like a magical celebration. For others, the holidays are just a reminder of pain and heartache.
Whatever feelings the holidays invoke in you, we all need the message of Christmas. All year-round, we need the reminder and assurance that we have a Savior. God had a promise that the Messiah would come, and with that promise came a future and hope.
But that future must've been so hard for people to see at first. People were expecting the Messiah to be a prince and a warrior. Instead, a baby was born in a small town called Bethlehem. The future and promise came to the world in an unexpected way. And, perhaps, in the same way, God can use our unexpected circumstances to bring Him glory.
Whatever you're going through this Christmas season, your answer will always be found in Jesus. The baby boy who came to save the world in a humble, unexpected way. His life opened up a gateway to peace and gave us the possibility of an eternity with Him. If Jesus hadn't come, we would still be lost in our sin.
Jesus came to forgive us of our sins, but He also came so that He could relate to what we feel on this earth. He can relate to our joy and also our sorrow. He knows what it's like to feel pain and the depths of our emotions.
Today, we're going to look at three songs that point us to the birth of Jesus. All of these songs capture the beautiful truth that Jesus came down to earth. And I pray that they'll give you some peace and assurance as you walk into the holiday season.
Hillsong Worship, "Seasons"
It's guessed that it took 400 years--between the Book of Malachi and the Book of Matthew, the gap between the Old and New Testaments--for Jesus to finally arrive. During that time, the Israelites were waiting for the promised savior. And it probably seemed like the time would never come for Him to arrive. All they had was a promise. But after hundreds of years, could they really believe it? Could they have missed the arrival of the Messiah? They must have felt like they would never see the promise come to fruition. But the truth is, God never breaks His promises. His timing is just different from ours. He knows what's best, and His timing is perfect.
For you, it could be winter. And it may seem like spring will never come. The bitter cold feels like it will never go away, and the memory of the sun's warmth seems to be miles away. But spring always comes, and summer closely follows. In the same way, we may feel like God's promises feel so far away. But God's timing isn't like our timing.
Popular worship band Hillsong Worship has a beautiful song called "Seasons." And one of my favorite lines is, "You could have saved us in a second/Instead You sent a child." As humans, we're flawed and (quite often) impatient. But God's ways aren't like our ways. He waited until the perfect moment to send His son to save us. He freed us at a time when no one could have guessed. Sometimes that's how He works. And it's a beautiful thing.
Just as the earth goes through different seasons, our lives also move through seasons. Maybe right now, you're in a season of waiting. I'm telling you, don't give up. Don't lose hope. Your breakthrough might come tonight. Or it could take a few more years. But God isn't done working, so don't stop waiting.
To the Israelites, it probably seemed like it took forever for the promised Messiah to come. But in reality, He came at the perfect time. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" God's ways are higher than ours, and He knows what's best. Whatever season you're in, keep holding on. God still has a plan.
"I can see the promise, I can see the future/You're the God of seasons, I'm just in the winter/If all I know of harvest is that it's worth my patience/Then if You're not done working, God I'm not done waiting."
for KING & COUNTRY, "Baby Boy"
Throughout the Bible, we see that God always takes unlikely people and uses them for His glory. We see this in both the Old New Testaments, from King David to the disciple--and fisherman--Peter. God uses ordinary people for extraordinary things. We even see this in the life of Jesus.
Jesus' mother Mary was an ordinary girl from a little town called Nazareth, yet she was chosen to give birth to the Messiah. Out of every other girl on the planet, God chose Mary. She wasn't anyone special, yet she conceived the promised Christ, the one who would save the world from sin and death. She was probably scared, yet she submitted to God's will and His perfect plan. Once the angel Gabriel delivered the news to her, she said to him in Luke 1:38 (NIV), "'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.'" Even in fear, she stepped out in faith.
The Messiah was born in a way that people would never have expected. He wasn't born in a palace, He was born in a stable. He wasn't born to rich parents, He was born to a young couple in a small town. Yet He grew up to become the savior of the world, Jesus Christ. The King of kings and Lord of lords.
for KING & COUNTRY's song "Baby Boy" perfectly captures the humble birth of Jesus. There's a line in the song that says, "If you told me you can't fight the battle, there's a Baby Boy who won the war/The war was won by a Baby Boy." He came in humility, yet He came to set the people free.
In the same way that God used an ordinary girl like Mary, He can also use us for incredible things for His Kingdom and glory. King David is another example of this. He was just a young shepherd boy, but God had something better in mind for him than he could have ever imagined. The young shepherd boy, the youngest among his brothers, became king of Israel. David was faithful with the sheep and faithful with what God put in front of him, and he was greatly rewarded for that.
Jesus wasn't born with a crown on His head, He was born in a manager. Unexpected majesty came down to earth. The birth of Jesus shows us that he can use unlikely circumstances and unlikely people for His glory. Nothing is impossible with Him.
"See, the King is coming down, and He's here without a crown/The Baby Boy without a bed/Giving life back to the dead/And hear the angels shout it out, as the people come and bow/Unexpected majesty."
We Are Messengers, "God With Us"
I first heard We Are Messengers' song "God With Us" at a time when I was dealing with anxiety. But every time I battle fear, somehow, it brings me so much peace knowing that God is with me. I remember listening to "God With Us" on repeat for a while, clinging to the promise that God is with me even in the unknown. And at Christmastime, we especially need that reminder.
There are many things you might be dealing with this holiday season. Maybe this time is always chaotic for you, or you recently lost a loved one. Whatever the case may be, you need the hope of Emmanuel. The name Emmanuel literally means "God with us," one of the symbolic names used for Jesus, as mentioned in Isaiah 7:14. Even in your darkest hour, you can be assured that Jesus is with you.
Joy can be found even in the tension. Light and healing can be found even after darkness. Since God is with us, we have nothing to fear. We can face the unknown, knowing that He's going to be with us. Nothing is impossible. If the virgin could conceive--if an impossibility became possible through God--think of the infinite power and majesty He has.
He is Emmanuel, God with us, and He's not far from any one of us. The same power that allowed the virgin to conceive and which rose Jesus from the dead is alive in us. Our circumstances may seem impossible, but we serve a God who specializes in making the impossible possible.
With Him, we can walk into this season with the assurance that He's right there with us. There may be tension in your life or your family, but He will go before you. Things might not immediately resolve, but you can know that He has a plan and His plans are better than ours.
Like it says in the chorus of "God With Us," "In the lonely midnight, keep looking up," God isn't far away. In your fear, in your trials, and in your grief, God is closer than you know. Keep looking up. No matter where you find yourself this holiday season, God will go before you and make a way where there seems to be no way. He is with you, always.
"He is with us always, in our joy and in our pain/In the lonely midnight, keep looking up/Love has come, God with us/Love has come, God with us."
Grace Chaves has been a fan of all things Christian music since 2016. She is NRT's news editor, and one of NRT's youngest writers. Homeschooled, Grace is an author, loves Jesus, concerts, and road trips.
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