They glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people.” —Luke 7:16
The theme of divine visitation runs throughout both Old and New Testaments. We notice it near the end of Genesis when Joseph said, “I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (50:24).
In God’s timing, deliverance from Egypt wouldn’t take place until some four hundred years later. But when He did arrive, it was with awesome power and tender compassion.
By the time of Luke 1, four hundred years had again passed since the voice of the prophets had fallen silent in Israel. Yet God once again strode into time and space, sending word to Zechariah that his soon-to-arrive son would herald the coming of the Son of God (Luke 1:13–17).
Seen against this historical backdrop, Christmas takes on a whole new meaning. Not a nice holiday for cookies and get-togethers. But a divine visitation, necessary to deliver us from our spiritual captivity and meet our desperate need.
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The Quiet Place: DailyDevotional Readings ©2012 Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
How does this biblical perspective affect how you view Christmas? How could it change how you celebrate this year?