“There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!.” Romans 5:3-4 (The Message)
Does Christmas raise or lower your tension levels? We fight crowds in the mall. If you have a blended family there are surely tensions there this time of year. Certainly there was family tension the first Christmas. Until the angel intervened, Joseph had in mind to divorce Mary quietly.
The political tension in King Herod’s palace and all Jerusalem peaked the moment word came that a caravan of Parthian Magi were in the area. Judea was on the very edge of the Roman Empire and Herod was under strict orders to not do anything to start a war with Parthia. What was going on in Bethlehem that night had the potential to start a world war. Even today, Bethlehem is one of the most tense places on the planet at Christmas time.
I play guitar and its the tension on the string that releases the right sound. There is sound the Lord is calling forth from his people in this hour. Its a sound/song in the midst of strife and stress. What sound are you allowing come forth from your stress? Let the Lord continue to fine tune you through the tension in your life.
PRAYER: Lord, you are the master conductor calling forth a crescendo of praise from your people on the earth. Forgive me for the moments I’m high strung. As those moments arise in me today, touch and tweak me through the ministry of your Spirit so the right sound comes forth. I pray the people around me hear a beautiful sound when they hear what you’ve done through the trials of my life. Amen.
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I like the analogy of thinking of us as instruments in God’s hands… as a guitar player, it also reminds me how easily it is to get out of tune!!
And, even if just one string is slightly out of tune, it throws off the entire sound… sometimes it can be painfully out of tune!
Thankfully, the grace of God allows for us to be out of tune a little bit - otherwise we’d get booed off the stage! But we should strive to stay in tune with the Master Musician, and let Him play beautiful music through us.
Lord, help me stay in tune with You, by hearing Your voice through Your word and Your spirit!
Joe