Help and hope of Jesus at Christmas

What does the tender image of a baby born in Bethlehem have to do with my suffering? How does the gospel relate to my suffering? I’ve spent years seeking God with these thoughts, especially when suffering continues through Christmas Day. So often I’ve cried, “O come, Lord Jesus” as I beg for His help and hope at Christmas time.

Who better than to provide that help and hope than the great Lord of might, majesty, and awe? This week, let’s ponder His gospel answers to our cries. 

Jesus, our Lord of might

O come, O come, thou Lord of might

[Jesus is] “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:21).

Jesus is the Lord of might…and “God with us,” as we suffer in this fallen world. Our Emmanuel Savior is the resurrected Lord who’s reigning right now, holding up everything by His power and authority. 

Beloved in Christ, this means our powerful Lord is holding you and me up today, as we walk through suffering. 

Jesus, who obeyed the Father perfectly

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God…You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:1-3).

Who to thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23 ESV).

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God (Rom. 3:10-11 ESV).

[Jesus] committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth (1 Pet. 2:22 ESV).

By His perfectly sinless life of total obedience to God’s law, born as a baby, fully human while fully God, Jesus became the perfect substitute for the death we all deserve for our inborn sin. This gift of grace from God means believers in Christ are safe in God’s holy and majestic presence, now and forever. 

In our suffering, we can come to Him with all of our sin and honest need, knowing His deep love and forgiveness are secure, today and forever.

Jesus, who is my Savior and Lord

O come, thou Rod of Jesse

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit (Is. 11:1 ESV).

free thine own from Satan’s tyranny;

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (Jn. 3:36 ESV).

From depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved (Rom. 10:9 ESV).

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life (Rom. 6:22 ESV).

God set us free from sin and death and He’s making us more and more like Jesus, as we suffer. He’s perfecting the faith He’s given to us, sanctifying us and making us holy and set apart. We’re on a journey toward being with Him forever!

He’s helping us live by faith, believing in what we can’t yet see, bringing us closer to Him, and bringing forth fruit in us, as we suffer.

Jesus, my Emmanuel, my help and hope

This Christmas, let’s ask for His help to rejoice in this glorious gospel daily, in what God did for us when Jesus our Savior was born to live a perfect life, die our deserved death, and reign alive now, as He sanctifies us by His Spirit. Oh, what deep love! One day, we’ll assuredly see our “God with us” Jesus Christ face to face and we’ll live with Him forever.

And that, dear one, is great news of hope, as we suffer.

A playlist to adore Jesus, our help and hope at Christmas

I’ve created a playlist of Christmas songs that help us to adore Jesus for what He’s done for us through the amazing good news of the gospel. If you’d like to sing your love to Jesus this Christmas with a focus on the gospel, I’d love to send it to your email as my gift to you. Even as we suffer this Christmas, the good news of the gospel means we have His abundant help and hope. Let’s “Sing Christ’s Hope” together, beloved!

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