I was standing on my back deck in tears.
I had asked my wife, Andrea, to come outside and pray with me. I was hoping God would give me some measure of peace. But before we prayed, I looked at her and said, “What does celebrating a baby in a manger have to do with what is going on in my life right now?”
There were three heavy things pressing on me at once: a personal health concern that seemed to be getting worse, a looming job change with the grief of saying goodbye, and a sudden family crisis that left me deeply sad.
I had been studying Luke 2 in preparation to teach during December, so the Christmas story was fresh on my mind. But in that moment, it felt distant. We were supposed to leave later that day for Thanksgiving, but holiday plans and family traditions were the last things on my mind.
I was afraid. Discouraged. Hurting. And I needed help.
So we prayed.
I told the Lord honestly what I was feeling. I thanked Him, even for circumstances I did not understand, and asked Him for the peace He promises in Philippians 4:6–7.
And as I prayed, something unexpected happened.
Peace came.
Not because anything around me changed, but because God steadied something within me.
A few hours later, our family got in the car and headed toward our relatives’ house for Thanksgiving. As we drove, I noticed the sunset. The sky was filled with deep reds and golds, and as daylight faded into night, my mind went to creation.
I thought about Colossians 1, where Paul says of Christ:
“For in him all things were created… all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
As I looked at the sky, the answer to my question began to come into focus.
The baby in the manger was not just a baby.
He was fully human, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. But He was also fully God — the One through whom all things were made, the One who holds all things together, the One who sustains all things by His powerful word.
And that truth quieted my soul.
The One in the manger was not distant from my pain. He was sovereign over it. He was not removed from my circumstances. He was present in them. He was not powerless in my fear. He was holding all things together, including me.
Then I remembered Matthew’s words:
“They shall call his name Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”
That was the message I needed.
Jesus is not only the Lord who holds all things together. He is Immanuel — God with us.
So what does celebrating a baby in a manger have to do with what is going on in my life right now?
Everything.
Because the baby in the manger is the Lord of creation. He holds all things together. And He has come near to be with His people.
So as you walk through this season, especially if this year has been harder than you expected, hear this word of hope:
Jesus is holding all things together.
And the One who holds all things together is with you.
1 Col. 1:16-17 New International Version
2 Heb. 1:3 New International Version
3 ESV Matt. 1:23