See the tender Lamb, promised from eternal years.
This week’s hymn beckons us to see Jesus, the promised Savior and Messiah. It reminds us of our own redemption, through this tender Lamb. Beloved in Christ, let’s remember God’s glorious love story toward us, for so many of His promises have already come true. Because His love story has already been written, with the Lamb as the main character!
As we now look toward celebrating the birth of our Savior, yet while suffering earthly pains, how we need His help to “see the tender Lamb” this week.
Are you also approaching the Christmas season…in a season of suffering? Let’s pray, together.
Father, help me to see Your promise, “amid the winter’s snow”
It can feel so impossible to endure. As Your people wandered in the wilderness, it must have felt so cold and unending. But You continually reminded Your people of what they would experience in Your promised land, the final destination. You helped them to see! It kept them going on the harsh, winding, exhausting, painful journey that lasted an entire generation.1
Now, Your promises carry me in my suffering journey. For their promised land was only a foreshadowing of my own future home.
According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13 ESV).
Help me to see the tender Lamb, my reigning Lord and righteousness
Jesus Himself is my only righteousness!2 He is alive, victoriously living right now in a resurrected body, seated at Your right hand!3 Because You called and raised me to new life with Him already,4 You promise that I will always live with Him in this land, with a transformed and glorious resurrected body like His.5 I will live in the perfect place Jesus has already prepared for me6 in my “New Covenant” eternal inheritance!7
See, amid the winter’s snow,
born for us on earth below,
see the tender Lamb appears,
promised from eternal years.
(“See, amid the winter’s snow,” Caswall, E., 1858)
Help me to see my hope in Christ
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth (Is. 25:8 ESV).
What a tremendous promise that sustains me on the most challenging days. I read of Your promised land and can’t imagine its sinless, perfectly restored beauty. I can’t wait for the endless feasts,8 the wedding feast as I join with all of the bride of Christ You created in this current time of redemption,9 within the sinless safety of all You’ve transformed,10 seeing the brilliant sights of Revelation 21 and 22.
But most of all, I can’t wait to live with You.
Your covenant promises will be fulfilled entirely, for all of eternity.
Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Help me to sing “Worthy is the Lamb” this Christmas
As I suffer in this decaying body and fallen world infected by sin and all of the resulting sufferings, please fill me with constant hope as I imagine and look forward to Your eternal promise.11 Help me to focus my mind, emotions, and life on the whole of Your glorious love story toward me. In the most harrowing moments, help me to remember that Your unchanging goodness and compassionate mercy follow me every single day of this earthly suffering and that You promise I will live with You in Your house, forever.12
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.
On the hardest days, help me to sing of Your glory, as a foreshadowing of what is to come. When I see glimpses of Your glory in Your creation (maybe even snow!)13 or re-turn to Your glory in Jesus Christ,14 and enjoy Your glorious gifts of feasting and loved ones,15 point my heart to praising You, my glorious Promise-keeper. This is the perfect season to do so!
For You promise that I will one day join in the unending song of praise to You!
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12 ESV)
In His great and glorious name, Jesus Christ, amen.
Material adapted from Praying God’s Promises Into Suffering: A Devotional Bible Study Prayer Journal, Lauri A. Hogle, © 2023
Resources to sing Christ’s hope into your suffering this Christmas
Sister in Christ, if it would bless you to exalt Jesus this Christmas, to “see” His glory as you lift your eyes to Him as you suffer, come join me! I am doing the same thing, with playlists I added to our subscriber-only resource library, prior to my recent brain surgery. Let’s see Him “amid the winter’s snow” and all of its harsh storms, for He is so near to both of us right now.
For weekly “praise interruptions,” with access to resource library of playlists of Scriptural songs to sing in this season, sign up here:
To hear Scripture devotional with calming hymn playing, click here for YouTube podcast.
Devotional Bible study prayer journals, available on Amazon. Click for details.
- Joshua 3 ↩︎
- Jeremiah 23:5-6; Romans 4:22-25, 8:10, 10:4, 9-11; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 4:24; 1 John 2:28-29 ↩︎
- Colossians 3:1 ↩︎
- Ephesians 2:6 ↩︎
- Philippians 3:21 ↩︎
- John 14:2-3 ↩︎
- Hebrews 9:15 ↩︎
- Isaiah 25:6 ↩︎
- Revelation 19:6-9 ↩︎
- Isaiah 11:6-9 ↩︎
- 1 Corinthians 15:19; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 1:5 ↩︎
- Psalm 23:6 ↩︎
- Psalm 19:1 ↩︎
- John 1:14 ↩︎
- James 1:17 ↩︎
2 Comments
Barbara Young · November 28, 2023 at 4:42 am
So good to see you are back at work sending this message. Getting ready for Christmas will be simple this year. Your answered prayers are encouraging me.
Love in Christ,
Barbara Young
Lauri Hogle · November 30, 2023 at 3:38 pm
Precious sister, praise God for His work in both of our lives! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!” We are His! Thanks to the wonder of technology, you received this post automatically as I recover from the brain surgery. Wonder of wonders, I can now see! I can stand! I am beginning to walk! Hallelujah to our Lord! Many healing mercies so far. Love in Christ to you!
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