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“Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.”

—Isaiah 9:2

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It’s hard to believe we’re already in Advent season—our annual reminder that the Divine took on flesh and dwelt among us. The miracle that God, in His grace, stooped to rescue us, offering deliverance from the dis-ease that unmakes our minds, bodies, souls, and relationships.

But here’s the thing about miracles, they’re often missed. Even the miracle of Christ’s coming was witnessed by only a young couple, a few shepherds, and some farm animals. The busyness of Bethlehem left little room for people to stop and notice what God was doing among them.

David’s descendants were likely whispering about a promised king, a messiah who would deliver them from an oppressive tyrant who was rather fond of counting people. Bethlehem was, after all, the city of David, a city of promise.

For those with the courage to look beyond their cares and into the heavens, a star was placed above them—evidence of the hidden miracle in their midst. But the minutiae of their oppression, the details of their detainment, kept most of them from participating in the wonder of their deliverance.

Miracles are easily missed.

That is why we must prayerfully remember the stories of God moving among us. As we allow the Spirit to reframe our past, we’ll see that God was always with us in those in-between, ordinary moments. When it comes to the miraculous, God does his best work in the dirt.

Response

Whether we see it or not, you and I are living in an answered prayer, walking in the wake of the miraculous.

I ask you, what miracle are you not seeing today? How has the busyness and frantic inaction of your world kept you from resting in the towering permanence of Advent?

Closing Thoughts

In this Christmas season, let’s be those who live with active patience, lifting our eyes and steadying our hearts so we can be faithful with our hands. Through grace we can see every mundane responsibility, such as the upkeep of a stable, as meaningful to the purposes of God.

The miracle has already begun—the promise of Immanuel is both here and there, now and then, energizing every step of our journey.

 . . . salvation has come . . . salvation is coming.

Lifting my eyes with you,

Addison

P.S. The word on the street is that the Words with God book would make a pretty great Christmas gift, for you or someone else. You can get it at Amazon, the Messenger store, or wherever you get your books. (I do know that it’s significantly discounted through both Amazon and Messenger.)

P.P.S. I’m thrilled to tell you that there’s a six-session (free) course on prayer as a way of life that’ll be available January 1! More to come on that soon.