Who Has Believed?

 

“Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”

Isaiah 53:1

Christmas day in our household was weird as it usually is. Of course, we don't really know what is normal for everyone else but we assume ourselves to be weird. A lot of times we are ok with that –

other times we struggle. It is who we are. We didn't get a tree put up until Sunday evening and it was never adorned with anything but the lights that came on it. (Actually, it is a simple kind of lovely.) Also, I still hadn't purchased any presents for anyone. Only one of us had achieved buying a present for every member of the family. Others were at various stages, two of us had attempted but came away empty handed. So there I was on the day our Christian culture opts to celebrate the birthday of our Saviour even though it probably is not the anniversary of His birth, asking ,with a bit of whine and angst, “God, what are we going to do? What do You want us to do?” I've tried to do other things but the Lord keeps calling me to just spend time with Him. Finally, I sit down, in a quiet place and feel led to read Isaiah 53, not Luke 1-2 or Matthew 1-2 or even Philippians 2:1-8 as I had expected since these are “Christmas” passages to me. Honestly, my first response was a disappointed “Really! Again!”. God leads me to this chapter often. Evidently, I need to be reminded often what He did for me. The Lord helped me to repent of my attitude and I asked Him to show me something new – to show me more of Himself. This verse, Isaiah 53:1 has most times been the blow through verse for me in this passage. I usually respond: “Lord, I believe, I think, though not well. Help my unbelief.” I had this type of response that day as well but then God pulled me up short because I had read the passage in Luke just the day before and God had settled me in to looking at His message to the shepherds and their response. And He connected these verses for me! Answered prayer!! Yea God!! He is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them,

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,

which the Lord has made known to us.”

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Luke 2:8-20

The “arm of the Lord” was revealed to the shepherds and they indeed believed! How cool is God! He didn't go to the people whom the culture would have considered most important, capable, attractive, or popular. He went to the ones who were doing one of the lowliest jobs but one that God values so much that He compares Himself to a shepherd. The shepherd lays his life down for his sheep and the Good Shepherd had just entered our world leaving His behind so that He did in fact do just that-He laid His life down: “Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5c-8 ESV

So the angels of heaven appear to a bunch of dirty shepherds just doing their job. It had been a normal, possibly mundane day for them until God surprised them, actually frightened them. The Lord, through His angel messenger, told them not to be afraid because he had good news for them and not only them but all people. That includes you and me-we are part of the “all people”. The shepherds listened to the message and they believed. How do we know that they believed? Because they acted on what they heard. They went to see what “the Lord had made known to them”. They didn't go in unbelief-they went to see believing and when they had seen they told others about what had happened-what they had heard and seen.

A friend and I were talking previous to Christmas about how often we think that we have to do/be something or someone great but God used ordinary shepherds who were just doing their job to tell the current world of the messiahs birth. You know what? They had to go back to their mundane jobs after this but as changed men in much more awe of a mighty and merciful God, worthy of praise. Go back up to the Luke passage and look at the last line. It says that the shepherds returned. What were they doing? Going back to work. What kind of attitude did they have? They weren't grumbling about the awful job that they had to do – sitting on a hillside all night watching sheep. They didn't say: “Hey, God has revealed Himself to us, we are way to important to have to do this lowly job.” No, they went back to that same job but not in the same way. They went back “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them”

Can we not join them in being the “who's” of Isaiah 53:1? Let's believe what we have heard and seen-what the Lord has revealed to us-even Himself. Let's believe in such a way that we investigate – lets study His word. Let's believe in such a way that we tell others what He shows us. Let's believe in such a way that we go back and do our mundane tasks with an attitude of worship and praise because God has humbled Himself and revealed Himself and called us to know Him, though we are unworthy. He alone is worthy of glory and honor and praise. Let's be those who have believed!

O Father, forgive me for living so often in unbelief. Help me to live by faith. Thank You for revealing Yourself to a lost world. Thank You for allowing us the privilege to know You. Help us to live in such a way that we do our work and walk through our daily lives glorifying and praising You for all that You have done, for revealing Yourself to us. Help us to tell others so that they might know and join in the song of praise to You who are worthy. In Jesus name, amen