The marvelous birth of Jesus was first shared with some shepherds out in the field. These were unknown men that were not the influencers in the society. They didn’t have any education, social status, or followers in the world, but God chose to reveal this beautiful news to them first! What they had was child-like faith, and they believed when they heard the good news!
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Luke 2: 8-18
These unknown shepherds were busy living their lives and taking care of their sheep as it was their usual practice, but this night was different. The angel of the Lord brought the joyful news of the Savior’s birth! What an exciting and unusual time! This joyful news must have brought such a hope and expectation in their hearts! They must have wondered why they were chosen out of all the people in the world to have this amazing birth announcement first. This moment in time must have etched in their hearts and would have been a special memory that they told their children and grandchildren.
The shepherds decided to seek out and find the baby the angels had proclaimed to them. The Bible tells us that they came in haste. They did not lose any time. They understood that this was a special moment in time and that they had a holy visitation. What if they had come up with excuses not to go right away!? They could have decided that the sheep needed to be taken care of and can’t be left alone. Or it’s too late to go now. May be they should wait till morning. To the contrary, they went right away. They sought God while He may be found (See Isaiah 55:6)
It’s interesting how we can make so many excuses for not doing something such as reading our Bibles, praying, or going to church, but if we really wanted to do something, we would not allow most obstacles to get in our way!
The scripture tells us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added on to us (See Matthew 6:33). The shepherds sought the Kingdom of God, and God took care of their lives and their sheep. He also blessed them with being the first group of people who had the privilege of seeing baby Jesus and sharing this story with others.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore whatever you want me to do for you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:7-12
The scripture tells us that when we ask, seek, and knock that we will find. The above passages tell me that the Kingdom of God is not going to be easily visible but it is available to those who seek Him, and desire to see the Kingdom of God.
The shepherds were blessed with a foretaste of heavenly worship that gave them the appetite for more, but the angel didn’t tell them that they should go right away. It was the shepherds who now desired to seek the Savior. Once they were alerted to the birth of their Savior, they did not want to miss this significant moment in time.
Are you seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? Are you willing to be inconvenienced in seeking Him? Are you looking for the perfect time to seek Him? Do you see the moments of time as the window of opportunity that God desires to reveal something to you? Do you make time for it? Do you seek after it?
I hope in the next couple of weeks, you can find times of reflection and refreshing in the presence of the Lord. Ask Him and seek Him and allow Him to show you and reveal to you His heart and His direction!
Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!
Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay