Pearls of Great Value

Silent night, Holy night

Son of God loves pure light

Radiant beams from Thy Holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth!

Silent nights. Nights when grief hits. Moments when you feel alone. Days when it seems you are all alone and no one understands. Seasons when God's voice seems silent and He feels far away. It's the silent nights that sometimes hurt the most.

Silent nights. Mary on the way to Bethlehem when she'd probably much rather be at home. Yet home is likely also the place where she's received looks of scorn and shame for being pregnant out of wedlock. At times, it is difficult to take the high road, or maybe it's painful to take the next step on this road. You've been forsaken and looked down upon. It's broken your heart. It's made you cry many a day. Yet, here you are. Somehow strong enough to walk through these silent nights. 

Silent nights. Shepherds on a hill, keeping watch over their sheep. Night after night as the world lays sleeping you've been awake, toiling to keep the sheep under your care safe. Sometimes fighting as the enemy breaks in to steal kill or destroy. Sometimes singing to fill the empty spaces. All without much fanfare. No one asks if you are tired. No one asks to take your job. It's not without its joy or its battles. It's a tedious job and someone has to do it. And so, night after silent night you keep watch. 

Silent nights. Wise men traveling from afar following a distant sign. Walking, day after day after day, having faith that what waits in front of you is a promise that will one day bring you close enough to touch the Promised One. You are traveling on hope. It's dusty. It's monotonous. And sometimes dangerous as in the daily grind you encounter adversaries who aim to not only deter you but destroy the promise ahead of you. It takes faith in the written word to keep walking. It takes a constant gazing up to the heavens to stay focused. You don't know when you'll arrive at your destination. It might take years and so you keep on walking. Silent night after silent night.

Silent nights. A mom grieving the loss of a child. The one mourning the loss of a spouse. A lonely heart who has lost hope. A heart grasping for answers and night after night is met with silence. The parent lying awake wondering and praying for the wayward son or daughter. A mind that is full of anxious thoughts and cannot seem to find rest. For the broken, the unworthy, the weary, the hurting, the lost, and the lonely, Jesus came for all. For the faithful, the intercessor, the strong, and the preserving ones, the son of God came. There is no place and no person that He will not come and touch. He came in the night. In the silent night, he broke through. Our Saviour appeared! Our King has come! 

Here's the hope within the silent nights. They get broken with an alleluia! With Angel's singing in the night sky, can you believe it? Can you see it? Silent nights get interrupted by a baby's cry, by the sound of abounding life. A promise suddenly fulfilled in a single moment in time. A long-awaited word falls fresh upon the heart and makes it leap for joy. You arrive at your destination. And you realize it was all worth it. Every single moment, every single silent night was worthy of the prize. 

May the desire in your heart be realized. May it be that in your silent nights, you see a glimpse of Emmanuel, the One who walks with you until the silence breaks. All I want is for you to be undone by all that He is, may you be more desperate for a touch of heaven than for earthly things. This Christmas, open up your heart to receive Him in a new fresh way, a way that you maybe haven't seen Him before. Open up your heart to let Him do what only He can do. Fresh perspective comes from seeing through His eyes. Dawn breaks even the longest night. He is with you, all the way, every day.

 Sleep in heavenly peace. That is why the Christ child came. To bring peace. Listen! Heavenly hosts singing Alleluia! The Savior, our redeemer was born! He lived and still lives. He saved and he still saves. You need to hear this beloved one. He wants you to know, that He still saves! He will redeem the time the enemy stole from you. So in your silent night when all seems lost, when hope is gone, when you feel all alone, I pray that you will know that glory flows from heaven afar and comes to touch you. His name is Jesus. May this glory flood your soul, and may His face light up your heart for He smiles on you. He delights to see you and His presence floods you with goodness. For He is the son of God, loves pure light! Radiance beams from His face unto yours. I pray that as you reflect on this, His love will become evident to you. You are not alone. You are loved. Let yourself experience it. 

I know it's hard, but reach out and love someone. Love will multiply back on you. Speak a word of hope to another hurting soul and hope will flood your soul. No, it's never going to be perfect but it'll always grow better. And in your silent nights when you are afraid or when you don't hear His voice, I pray His love will flood your soul. May the calm of heaven come and brighten the place you are in right now. I pray His peace over you. 

Hold on. Saturate your heart with His word and let His promises fill you with hope. Speak His word more than you speak your doubts. Lay down your anxious thoughts and know that He is truly good for you and to you. And for every silent night I pray that He will reveal to you His presence. He is with you. Emmanuel finds you, Emmanuel has reached out and holds you close. There is no separation between your heart and His. Rejoice in this simple truth and celebrate Him until your silent nights break with hallelujah moments! He loves you. So very much, He loves you! Merry Christmas!