“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
- John 16:33
If there is one single thing we probably all agree on in this deeply divided age we live in, it is that the year 2020 has been a year from . . . well, you know where! That sentiment is no doubt universal, as the COVID pandemic has impacted everyone on the entire planet, no nation or society has escaped. Except perhaps for World War II, this fatal disease has been like nothing any of us has ever experienced. Couple that with already existing social, political, and racial unrest during a highly contentious election year, it is almost a perfect storm. And as much as we long for great leadership to unify us in solving the problems of our day, that remains doubtful regardless of one’s political or philosophical stripes. No, more than a great leader, what we need is a great savior.
Well, take heart my friends, we have one, a Savior who has power to heal our deadliest and most debilitating diseases, calm the fiercest storms, and bring peace in the bitterest of conflicts. Centuries before his appearance on earth the Prophet Isaiah foresaw his character. “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:3-9)
All this from a tiny baby born in a stable two thousand years ago to humble parents from an obscure village! He’s just the Savior we need, one who is with us always, even in 2020, a year from . . . well, you know where. “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus told us. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” I think I’ll put my trust in Him. Hope you will too. Merry Christmas! Abundant Living will return January 4, 2021.