Obtaining Mercy

God provided words of peace when fear threatened to overcome the shepherds.

"And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not…'"

Life is scary.  The best of days can bring surprising angelic announcements, and the worst of days can bring shocking, horrific revelations.

We can only have peace when we know the Prince of Peace.  He promises His gift to us.

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

May God's peace comfort you today.

God provided angelic announcers when the world took no notice.

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

In your service for the Lord, do not concern yourself with being seen and noticed by man.  Most of the time, people do not notice or understand the sacrifice we make to serve the Lord.  They cannot see our heart or know our motives.

We will, in most cases, not receive adulation for our service to the Lord.

But God knows.

He sees our sacrifice.  He treasures our work.

When you feel that no one notices, remember the Heavenly Host that is looking down on us; and rejoice with them that the work of God is being accomplished here on earth.

God provided a manger, when the world had no room.

A manger is a feeding trough, where they put the hay, straw and vegetables for the animals to eat.

We have no idea if Joseph and Mary found the manger in a stable, a barn, a cave or in a lean-to behind some busy inn.

We only know that when the baby Jesus was born, there was a soft place to lay Him.

How precious the old Psalms must have been to Mary and Joseph, as they
lived out this tremendous story of absolute faith in God.  I can imagine
them whispering these verses of comfort to one another, as they huddled together
awaiting the birth of the Christchild.

Psalm 119: 49-52 – Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
 The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.

In the midst of our difficult circumstances, when we are in pain and
without a friend to provide comfort, when we do not know how to provide
our family's most basic comforts, we can rest in the truth that God
takes care of His own.

God will meet every need as you travel through this life, walking in obedience to His commands.

There will be a soft place to rest, even in the midst of your trial.

God provided safe passage when Satan would have stopped their journey.

Our safety – both physical and spiritual – is from the Lord.  When we walk in obedience to His direction, as Joseph and Mary did when they set out on their journey, we are promised the safety of the Lord.  Neither the distance traveled, the difficult circumstances, nor the uncomfortable conveyance can thwart our reaching our promised destination.

Leviticus
25:18 "Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do
them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety."

Psalm 4:8 "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."

You can safely leave your travel details to the Divine Travel Agent…not even the tiniest detail of your trip will escape His notice.

May today's journey be but a short trip in your lifetime of walking with the One who knows the end from the beginning.

Do not walk in fear, my friend. God will not desert you on your journey, but will lead you faithfully each step of the way.