Dear Friend,
Do you feel like you’re running an endurance race right now?
Between the ongoing pandemic and the many crises around our world, I think most of us are living in a place of deep-seated anxiety. Everywhere we look, we see something that’s broken. In July, before the Taliban even struck, two of our translators were martyred. Our world is broken.
But Christmas is our annual reminder that God is not “out there” somewhere. We’re living in a time of chaos; Jesus was born into a time of chaos. Our lives are messy and complicated; Jesus was always right there in the middle of the mess. He knows what we’re going through; He’s been there, and He’s still here.
This Christmas, take comfort in meditating on the names of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6:
- Wonderful Counselor—We certainly need someone to tell us how to make sense of the world today, don’t we? In God’s Word, we find counsel to look beyond the madness.
- Mighty God—We need a big, mighty God right now, stronger than the rough and tumble world we’re living in.
- Everlasting Father—We need help to look beyond the here and now, to keep our eyes fixed on God’s eternal goals.
- Prince of Peace—Perhaps no other name of Jesus is more meaningful to our anxious hearts than this promise that we serve a God who blesses peacemakers and will someday put an end to all sin, war, and suffering.
Our lives are not easy, but we serve a God who doesn’t choose the easy way out. An involved God who sent Jesus to endure a turbulent life and a horrific death to be our “way out” of sin. Keep running that race, knowing He’s right there beside you.
May God bless you this Christmas season and into the new year!
Geof Morin
President/CEO, Biblica
