Keeping Watch

Christmas can be a lonely time.

Many of us place our faith, hope, and trust in things that will eventually fade away. Some of us already have felt painful disappointment and heartache, and we’ve given up.

Discouragement and depression are unfortunate companions during the holiday season. Regardless of how hard we try to cling to the Truth of all God’s promises, they seem to slip through our fingers. No amount of holiday spirit improves our frame of mind. Often, "Merry Christmas" evokes nothing but an unexplainable sorrow.

One of the greatest examples in the Bible of anguish and joy is David – the shepherd boy who became a king. I identify with him because his mistakes were BIG ones. The other reason is the legacy he left us recorded in many of the Psalms.

Psalm 34 is one of my favorites because it shows some of God’s promises and blessings that are often hard to see in the darkness of our despair. God will deliver us from fear and anxiety, guard us, show us goodness, and meet our needs. According to the Life Application notes, “God pays attention to those who call on him. Whether God offers escape from trouble or help in times of trouble, we can be certain that He always hears and acts on behalf of those who love Him.”

Unfortunately, even if we understand, either we don’t believe it to be true or we don’t ask. Instead, we are so weighed down by our circumstances, it’s almost impossible to see anything other than our loneliness, our heartache, our fear, or our grief.

God knows the suffering of His children, but He can only help when we have a relationship with Him. It isn’t difficult to invite the Creator to become actively involved in our lives. One of the blessings of Christmas is a gift that is given to all if we choose to accept it.

There will always be suffering and hardship in this life, regardless of our faith. The difference is, as believers, we have a supernatural Shepherd constantly keeping watch over us.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit, Psalm 34:18, NLT


Christmas Blessings, Francine

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