Devotional from Jill Ramirez
When a baby is born, those around it are immediately filled with hope. Hope that the child will grow into someone amazing. Hope that the child may bring lost loved ones together. Hope that the little baby will leave its mark on the world. I’m just talking about babies that are born every day. Can you imagine how much hope was wrapped up in swaddling clothes, lying in a dirty manger thousands of years ago? The hope of the world was in that baby, and not just the world at that particular time. Generation after generation after generation has hope and freedom because of that one little child. So much power in such a small package.
Those tiny hands would one day heal the sick. That tiny voice would one day silence the sea. Those tiny feet would one day be nailed to a cross for me, for you, for people that were thousands of years away from even being born.
The songs we are singing this week focus on the hope, salvation and freedom that was born into the world so many years ago. Jesus, as a babe lying in a manger held the keys to our freedom. He held the promise of our deliverance. He held the hope of the entire world.
“Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!”
“Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free…”
“But the grave couldn’t hold Him
Our God has overcome
Let Heaven and nature sing
This is our King!”
“You split the sea so I could walk right through it! My fears are drown in perfect love. You rescued me so I could stand and say I AM A CHILD OF GOD!”