“And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior… He has filled the hungry with good things’” (Luke 1:46-47, 53a, NKJV).
After four thousand years of human history, human tragedy, human depravity, human bewilderment, human searching, human longing… God burst through the barrier that kept us from Him and entered our world. He came to encounter the hungry and fill them with good things.
Everything in those four thousand years pointed to the coming of a Savior. Prophecy upon prophecy foretold His arrival. His people yearned for the relief His advent would bring. My favorite Christmas carol voices this so beautifully: “Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth…” Matthew’s gospel depicts the spiritual reality of humanity as we ached for Him to come – we “sat in darkness… in the region and shadow of death…” until His Light dawned and shone in our hearts (Matt. 4:16, NKJV).
The great prophets of old, too, thirsted for the manifestation of the Messiah. Look how vividly the Apostle Peter depicts their ravenous search for insight pertaining to His arrival:
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Peter 1:10-11, NIV)
Even the very last prophet of the old covenant era, John the Baptist, sent word to Jesus to inquire searchingly, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matt. 11:3, NIV).
Peter adds to his description of the prophets’ pursuit of messianic revelation, “Even angels long to look into these things” (v. 12). Even the angels! Everyone in the universe was created to long for Jesus!
All over the world today, just like in millennia past, spirits are starved for the glorious news of great joy that the angels proclaimed to the shepherds. And you and I have what they are craving. The Desire of All Nations has come into our lives. Today, Jesus says to you and me, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matt. 13:16-17, ESV).
As the pregnant virgin Mary expressed exultantly, God fills the hungry with good things. The Bethlehem story is about the satiating of our longings; only the Savior born to us can slake our thirsty human spirits. Right where you live, other empty, parched hearts are searching too. This Christmas, is Holy Spirit stirring you to share our magnificent hope with one of them?
Feeding On Jesus 
So precious: especially your favorite Christmas carol. It was my Mama’s also and holds a special place in our hearts – we sung it one last time together, tears streaming, gathered around my Mum, our last Christmas together with her on this earth.
I pray that you [and your children and future granchildren] may continue to be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, [my sister], have refreshed the hearts of the saints.” -Philemon 5-7 Merry Christmas, Jennifer. God bless you richly and surround you with His angels, keeping guard over each one of you as things escalate in Peru. May this serve to only increase the hunger and thirst of those around you for the LORD and draw many more to repentance and new life in Christ Jesus.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, dear Anna! Gratefully drinking in these blessings for the nation of Peru and for my family. I hope your Christmas was so special too! And wow. The memory of that moment with your Mum is so sacred. Oh for the day when we all sing together up there!
LikeLike
A blessed Holy Christmas dear Jennifer to you and yours. Thank you for your anointed posts and encouragement to us all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Faye! I hope your Christmas was beautiful, overflowing with the intimate presence of Jesus!
LikeLike
Thank you Jennifer. Merry Christmas!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you too, RJ! I hope your Christmas was extra special too. (I am now back from a long ministry trip and getting caught up again on blog comments. The richest of blessings to you in 2023!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Grateful hugs!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“O Holy Night” is my favorite, too.
Another carol this post reminded me of is “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.” Our choir director loves that one and said he wished there were more than two verses. The songwriter in me took the challenge, and this year we sang two more verses, about fulfilled prophecy, the Resurrection, and the Second Coming. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
How wonderful! Do you have a recording of it on the Internet?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, but I wrote about it in my last post.
I put a link to a couple of recordings in the comments – the two original verses. I guess you can use your imagination for verses 3 and 4 (lyrics included in the post.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful, thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Jennifer, hoping you had a joyful Christmas season!
Reading this in January but rejoicing all the more in how God orchestrated the set of the Christmas story… all the while the characters ( Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men……..) were clueless how great a part they were chosen to play!
And then as Peter states there were those who were …. trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing …. eagerly awaiting the second coming of Christ as I rest in the finished work of the cross of our savior!
Wonder what parts we are cast in for the second coming of Christ!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love these thoughts! I too have just now been pondering the Christmas story more, since I started a one-year Bible plan landing me in the beginning of Genesis and Matthew. What a breathtaking story-writer He is!!
LikeLike