This year my husband and I have gone through an extended period of trial where our faith and reliance on God has been tested. In the past, whenever we needed a boost in income due to a child added to the family, student loans needing to be repaid, a necessary new car, etc., God has been faithful in providing us with just enough income to meet our needs. Each time my husband has received a timely promotion, increased bonus, or other compensation that covers the deficiency in our monthly expenses. This was a huge blessing to us and we used it as a testimony to others about God's provisions. When I became pregnant this time with our 3rd child, we knew that we would need another extra boost. We anticipated that God would come through this time in much the same way he always had before. We were overjoyed in March when my husband was promised that a new position would be created for him at work giving him an opportunity to use his law degree in addition to his financial background. Months and months went by with countless meetings, interviews, and promises made to my husband by his superiors. Still nothing, no new job, no additional compensation. We began to worry and grew anxious and frustrated. Months later we learned the position promised to him was given to someone else. We learned that man's promises were fickle. We were devastated. We prayed and leaned more on God and he comforted us and reminded us, "I am your God and I am faithful. Do not be afraid. I will provide. But my timing is not your timing. I know what is best for you. Be patient and persevere. Trust in me and do not falter." And now, nine months later, God has shown us again how faithful he is with his fulfillment of promises. Not in the way that we originally expected, and definitely not according to our timeline, but nonetheless he fulfilled it with a job that is better than the one promised earlier by men. We are so humbled and so thankful! Praise Him! What an early Christmas present this has been for us!
As Christmas draws near in the next couple of days, I am thinking a lot about God and his promises. I won't go into all the details now, but suffice it to say the Bible is full of them. From Old Testament to New Testament, we see that God is ever faithful. Nothing is impossible with God, so when he makes a promise, we see again and again that he can suspend the laws of nature to fulfill the promise (e.g., Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, all conceiving sons in their old age, the virgin birth). We see that His promises are always kept, but are kept according to His perfect time and always to fulfill His divine purposes. These purposes are always for his glory and to our benefit even if we don't see it immediately as such.
I don't believe it is a coincidence that God's fulfillment of the promise to our family regarding my husband's job and provisions coincide so perfectly with Christmas. It is as though God is reminding us and highlighting his ultimate promise: the birth of Jesus Christ who is our Savior. God's nature never changes. He is the same then and now. Jesus' humble birth and beginnings in the manger don't seem like much, but it was foretold and promised by prophets of old. Beginning in Genesis (written 1450-1410 BC) we already see the first foreshadowing of Christ and how he will be born of woman and eventually defeat Satan by rising from the dead (Genesis 3:15). The Messiah was to be born from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10) and was to be born in the town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-2, written 750-686 BC) and was to be a descendant of David (Jeremiah 23:5, written 626-586 BC). Nearly 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah also foreshadowed the virgin birth: "the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)." There are hundreds more prophecies throughout the Old Testament such as these. Jesus fulfilled each and every one. Even experts agree that the probability of one individual fulfilling all these prophecies is beyond chance, leaving only one possible explanation: divine intervention. Jesus truly is the foretold Messiah. Hence, Jesus was the greatest demonstration of God fulfilling his promises to mankind.
If God can suspend the laws of nature and design everything to fulfill his promises of bringing us a savior who will die for us on the cross and give us everlasting life, God can fulfill everyday promises to you and I! This is the true Christmas gift. That nothing is impossible with God. He brought us Jesus and promises to provide for us who believe in his son always and forever. Merry Christmas, Everyone!
