If you haven’t already heard, Thanksgiving Day is behind us, and it’s currently December the 2nd……...so you should’ve already unpacked the old record player, more realistically your Spotify playlist with every Christmas song out there on it!
Yes, the title of today’s devo is the most “miserable” time of the year, and why would I have chosen to say that if it’s 23 days till Christmas?
Britt, did you step on a Lego brick or something?
Nope, I just have 5 projects, 4 Christmas concerts, 3 business tests, 2 presentations, and a whole lot of other stuff, too!
To top all of that off, we’ve got this crappy Iowa December weather where instead of snowing, it rains and it’s WINDY!
The days are getting shorter, meaning less sunlight and many more days of gloom ahead.
Adding more to the table, others out there may have my load on top of having to think about their first Christmas without a loved one that they’ve lost this year. Think about all of those who have lost their homes and belongings to the hurricanes, wildfires, and tornadoes. Their businesses, their farms, their lives.
So. What’s there really to be joyful about?
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Throughout the last 3-4 weeks, I’ve had the privilege to be a part of one of the best live Christmas performances in the world, and most likely the best in the state of Iowa. Christmas With Wartburg is a program brought to you by over 350 collegiate musicians who practice right around 48 hours total in that 3-4 week period.
Those hours do not include set-up, practicing outside of the choir room or band hall, organizing, traveling, or our 4 concerts throughout this weekend.
While it has been a blessing, all I can think about is when I’m going to do my homework, when I’m going to stop writing this devo and start on my macroeconomics paper (gross), and how am I going to be able to do all of it in the time allotted?
Thankfully, I have such an amazing choir, choir family, and choir director to keep my brain and heart directed towards one place: the weary world.
Cheesy enough, "The Weary World Rejoices" is the title of our Christmas With Wartburg show this year.
Aside from the cheesiness, our world is pretty broken down, and there are many hurting that we may not recognize because we’re so focused on ourselves.
Having sang one of our fun songs in choir a numerous amount of times, it took until 2pm yesterday for me to comprehend the words I was singing.
The first line is this:
“I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised!
So shall I be saved from my enemies!”
It may not sound too exciting, but when you hear it, oh man, it’s a big party and everyone rejoices!
In our Christmas performances, we sing another song that our choir director wrote. The piece is called “I Will Make A Way” and I’m 100% with that song.
If you hear that song or are lucky enough to sing the words, it can drive your emotions all over the place.
The first verse says “I will make a way in the wilderness” (wilderness meaning my accounting exam) Then it continues, “I will make rivers in the desert.”
Now I’m not sure if that makes sense, but rivers in the desert doesn’t sound possible.
Q: But what is impossible with faith in God?
Answer: Nothing. Nada. Zero-nuthin.
One of my favorite Bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
But what I never saw after that were the following verses, verses 12-14:
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.”
God will make a way for you and me through the hardest of times.
He will strengthen you when you least expect Him to.
You will prosper and you will make it to Christmas Day one way or another.
He will be there for you, by your side whenever you’re falling (either literally on ice or mentally in your classes).
All you have to do is lift up your pains and hurting to Him and He will carry you on.
Pray this for a quick second because I know you have time:
- Pray that God will light your path towards His plan for you.
- Ask Him to help you when you hit a brick wall or multiple walls.
- And praise Him for being an accountable and compassionate Heavenly Father.
Live, love, and be loved.
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