As you go about the malls and shops this season, you listen to laughter, see smiles on faces and hear people wish you “Merry Christmas!” They appear happy, but many of those people hide deep pain within. They need “Immanuel – God With Us.”
Yesterday, I mentioned that, as a counselor, I spend a lot of time listening to my clients. Some years ago, one young teenager shared a difficult story of emotional abuse that she received year after year within her home. Children and Youth Services became involved, but emotional abuse rarely meets the level of concern that removes a child from his or her home. My hands were tied. I could not change her parents’ behavior. Instead, over the next months, I helped her learn coping skills that would make her life tolerable until she was no longer a minor in their care. I shared with her about faith in a God who could help her forgive and heal.
Imagine if God sat next to you and listened sympathetically to your needs but had no power to change your circumstances! Our God is far more powerful than we are. His hands are not tied. As Isaiah 59:1 says, “The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear your call.”
Take time today to read Psalm 18:4-19. In those brief verses, David cries out for help and the Lord sets aside all other priorities and races to the side of His child. As the psalmist concludes: “He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me.” As you step out your door today, remember that your God delights in you!
