I was standing on my back deck in tears.<\/p>\n
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, \u201cWhat does celebrating a baby in a manger have to do with what is going on in my life right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
I was afraid. Discouraged. Hurting. And I needed help.<\/p>\n
So we prayed.<\/p>\n
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\u20137.<\/p>\n
And as I prayed, something unexpected happened.<\/p>\n
Peace came.<\/p>\n
Not because anything around me changed, but because God steadied something within me.<\/p>\n
A few hours later, our family got in the car and headed toward our relatives\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
I thought about Colossians 1, where Paul says of Christ:<\/p>\n
\u201cFor in him all things were created\u2026 all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.\u201d<\/p>\n
As I looked at the sky, the answer to my question began to come into focus.<\/p>\n
The baby in the manger was not just a baby.<\/p>\n
He was fully human, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. But He was also fully God \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
And that truth quieted my soul.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered Matthew\u2019s words:<\/p>\n
\u201cThey shall call his name Immanuel,\u201d which means, \u201cGod with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the message I needed.<\/p>\n
Jesus is not only the Lord who holds all things together. He is Immanuel \u2014 God with us.<\/p>\n
So what does celebrating a baby in a manger have to do with what is going on in my life right now?<\/p>\n
Everything.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
So as you walk through this season, especially if this year has been harder than you expected, hear this word of hope:<\/p>\n
Jesus is holding all things together.<\/p>\n
And the One who holds all things together is with you.<\/p>\n
1 Col. 1:16-17 New International Version<\/span><\/p>\n 2 Heb. 1:3 New International Version [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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, \u201cWhat does celebrating a baby in a manger have to do with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\n I was standing on my back deck in tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I began to rest in this reality, I was reminded of what the gospel writer Matthew wrote when he 1 Col. 1:16-17 New International Version <\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"2880"},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":508,"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449\/revisions\/508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scott-torres.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n3 ESV Matt. 1:23<\/p>\n
I asked my wife to join me in prayer with the hopes that God would bring some level of peace to my
heart. Just before praying I mentioned to Andrea, \u201cWhat does celebrating a baby in the manger have to
do with what is going on in my life right now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were three plates spinning. A personal health concern that worsened by the day. A looming job
change and the agony that comes with saying good-bye. And a sudden family crisis that brought me
deep sadness the more I thought about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had begun to study the Christmas story in Luke 2 in preparation to teach during the month of
December. With it fresh on my mind, I stood on my back deck asking a legitimate question, \u201cWhat does
celebrating a baby in the manger have to do with what is going on in my life right now?\u201d We were
preparing to leave later in the day for the Thanksgiving holiday. But as you would expect in the moment,
holiday marketing and the nostalgia of family traditions and Thanksgiving were not even on my radar.
I was fearful. Discouraged. Hurting. And in need of help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My wife and I paused to pray. I confessed my disillusionment and what I perceived to be true. I gave
thanks to God for the circumstances along with asking for peace to help me get through the day (Phil.
4:6-7). And surprisingly, as I prayed, I experienced a peace that I couldn\u2019t explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few hours go by and the family and I get in the car and make our way towards our relative\u2019s house for
the holidays. As we drove, I could not help noticing the dazzling colors the sunset brought that evening.
And as the day turned to night and the sky changed from red to deep blue, I found myself contemplating
the creation story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought about Colossians 1 which speaks of Christ\u2019s supremacy and him being God\u2019s agent in creation.
It says in verses 16-17, \u201cFor in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him
and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.\u201d 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I repeatedly glanced up, I marveled at the expansiveness of the sky and the thought that Jesus was
involved in creating all of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the answer to my question from earlier in the day came. This same babe who was laid in a
manger was fully human and fully God. He is the one who, according to Colossians and Hebrews 1,
\u201cholds all things together\u201d and is \u201csustaining all things by his powerful word.\u201d 2 He was God, very God,
and at the same time a helpless baby, totally in control of all things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This reality that the baby in the manager was the \u201cone who created all things\u201d and the one \u201cwho holds
everything together by the power of his word\u201d caused me to step back from all that was going on in my
world and rest. He was in control then. He is in control now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
quoted the prophet Isaiah. He said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBehold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel\u201d (which
means, God with us). 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only is Jesus sovereign and in control, but he was given the name \u201cImmanuel\u201d (which means, God
with us). God, very God, came to be with his people. And so the message of Christmas was relevant to
the message that I needed to hear that day. God is with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so as you journey through this holiday season and close out a very difficult year, please hear these
words of encouragement and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus is holding ALL things together. And the one who is holding all thing together is WITH YOU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 Heb. 1:3 New International Version
3 ESV Matt. 1:23<\/p>\n\n\n\n