“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid” (KJV, Luke 2:8-9).
“And there were in the same country”
Father, You have been gracious to me, and it is all the more evident as Christmas approaches. You have given me more than I deserve, and I am thankful for Your many blessings. Yet, you have not given up on me. Instead, You faithfully pursue me amid my many downfalls.
My life is characterized by coming short of Your commands. You have made me better than who I once was, but I am still sinful, and I pray for Your forgiveness. Thank You for the cleansing power of the death of Christ. Thank You for sending Your Son into the world to redeem the world.
When Christ came into the world, the Shepherds were in the same country. What a blessing it is to be near Jesus. What a gift it would have been to be there for Christ’s coming.
I pray that You will help me to stay near to You. I see that my heart is prone to wander. I know that I am often a sheep that strays from the fold. Why is there this war within me, Lord? Help me to stay near to You. Teach me what it means to walk with Christ.
Moses would not take another step without Your presence going with him. Could you show me what Moses saw? Please help me to understand what Moses understood. I often seek my own will and my way. But Your Word makes it clear to me that I will never succeed without You by my side.
I wish to be near to You. I want to seek You without sin getting in my way. The shepherds were there with Christ, and I long to be with Jesus as well. So draw me to Yourself this day, Lord Jesus, and please do not let me go.
“shepherds”
Jesus, I thank You that You are my Good Shepherd. You have told me that You will lead me by still waters and restore my soul. I see that my soul needs to be restored. I grow weak in this life, and it is hard to live for You as I ought.
I can see the truth in Your words in the Garden of Gethsemane. You told Your disciples to watch and pray because the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I am weak in the flesh, but my spirit is willing to live for You. Please help me this day, Good Shepherd. Restore my soul and cause me to be strong in You.
I would desire to be a sheep who hears Your voice and follows You. Teach me to follow Your leading through all of life’s trials. Thank you for being my Shepherd and laying Your life down for me. Thank You for holding me in the palms of Your hands and for not letting me go.
“abiding in the field”
Here I see that the shepherds abided in the field; what a fantastic picture of Christ. Jesus, would You abide with me this day? You have told me in John 15 that You are the Vine, and I am a branch. You have told me that if I abide in You, I will bear much fruit. The reality of my situation is that I can do nothing but sin apart from You. My only hope of living for You is when I abide in the Vine, and the Vine abides in me.
I pray I would not just look like I abide in the Vine. Many churchgoers look like Christians but are not truly abiding in the Vine. Your Word tells me this when You said that many will say, “Lord, Lord.” Your Word has given me a clear picture of the deceit of Judas and how Judas would have looked like a believer.
I pray that You would establish me in the faith and assure me of my salvation. I would desire to truly be attached to the Vine and not simply appear as though I am, like the branches that were cast away because they did not bear fruit.
Would You abide in me, Jesus, and cause me to bear fruit? Would You confirm my calling and election this Christmas as I think about Your purpose for coming to this earth?
“keeping watch over their flock by night”
Father, thank you for the glimpse of Christ that You have shown me again. I see that the Shepherds kept watch over their flock by night. They were faithful shepherds and showed me through their example how Christ closely watches me.
Jesus, I need You to watch over me. I find that enemy would desire to steal from me, kill me, and destroy me. Satan does not cease to bring me to ruin, but I pray that You would watch over me, Good Shepherd. I pray that You would protect me when the enemy seeks to attack.
Father, I pray that You would not lead me into temptation but deliver me from evil.
“And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them”
Father, I recognize that I do not think about the ministry of the angels often. However, Your Word tells me that the angels are ministering spirits and are here to serve me. It is hard for me to fathom this reality as it belongs to the unseen. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He did not give into Satan’s devices. However, at the end of Jesus’ temptation, angels came and ministered to Jesus.
Father, I pray that You would help me to understand the role of angels in my life. I pray that You would teach me, from Your Word, how to honor You in my understanding concerning angels.
“and the glory of the Lord shone round about them”
As I look at the end of Luke’s Gospel, I see Jesus being led away to be crucified. I see Him bearing His cross up Golgotha’s hill. After Jesus was crucified, Luke tells me that there was darkness over the whole land at the sixth hour. When the darkness came upon the earth, Jesus gave up His spirit.
However, when I look at Luke 2:8-9, I am taken aback by the reality that when Jesus came into the world, he came with the light. His entrance was much different than His exit. Jesus came in holiness but left the world in guilt. Jesus came in perfection but left the world as the One Who knew no sin yet became sin for me.
“and they were sore afraid”
Teach me to have a healthy fear of You, Lord. The book of Proverbs has much to say about the fear of the Lord. You have told me that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, the fear of the Lord is foundational for the application of Your Word. In other words, I will never learn to apply Your Word unless I first learn to fear Your holy name.
Work a fear of the Lord into my heart this Christmas. Help me to see the wonder of Your Gospel message and fear You more. In the book Psalms, you tell me that there is forgiveness with the Lord so that You may be feared. What an exciting concept. Your forgiveness should cause me to fear Your name.
This Christmas, I pray that You will open my eyes to the wonders of Christ’s incarnation. Open my eyes so that I might see Christ in all His glory. Show me the depths of my forgiveness and cause me to fear Your name. You are high above me, and I am of the earth. You are holy, and I am of the dust. I am not like You, but I often seek to conform You to my image. Forgive me for my sin that I might glorify and magnify Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.