The following is an excerpt from Cheryl Lynn Betz’s new devotional, Lord, It’s Time for Just You and Me.
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-20
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)
Photo courtesy of www.istockphoto.com/ivan-96
Can you put yourself in the shepherds’ shoes? Before the visitation it was probably somewhat peaceful for a shepherd’s life. It was nighttime. It was dark. The sheep were making their sheep noises.
Then out of the darkness came the angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds! Wow! That would cause a heart to skip a beat or two. In fact, the Scripture says, “They were terrified” (Luke 2:9).
Bless them—I imagine they were terrified. God knew they would be. He knows how His presence affects His creation, so He always tells His messengers to preface His message with reassurance and comfort: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).
Have you ever been terrified? Did it help when someone said, “Don’t be afraid”? For me, it depends on who is telling me not to be afraid. In this case, an angel of the Lord God Almighty is saying this—with His grace and mercy and power and authority. The shepherds would recognize God’s glory because all of God’s creation recognizes its Maker (Romans 1:20). Yet, God knew that He needed to quickly shift the shepherds’ focus from themselves and their fears to the reason for the angel’s visit.
Notice that the angel told the shepherds that the “news of great joy” would be for “all the people.” Right away God lets them know that what He is going to reveal has to do with them. In the society of their day, shepherds were not part of the elite few. They were common, ordinary working men and women, and God is telling them that this message is not only for the elite in society or the religious leaders. It is for all people. He has sent His angel to tell them “news of great joy,” which includes them.
The angel proceeds to tell them about Christ’s birth. Again, note the phrasing in verse 11: “A Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Not only is God informing them that the long-awaited Savior is born, but He is also born “to you.” Once again, God is making it clear that He is including these shepherds in the joyous celebration of Christ’s birth. Christ is born to them, the gift of God to them.
Back to the scene of this announcement: the shepherds are in their fields with their sheep. They were in the dark of night until the angel of the Lord appeared and the glory of the Lord surrounded them. The shepherds are already awestruck by the angel’s appearance. Can you imagine their feelings when “suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God” (v. 13)? Once again, I believe that a few hearts may have skipped some beats.
Let’s not miss the message given by the “great company of the heavenly host” in verse 14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Who receives peace? “Men on whom his favor rests.” Here were these common, hard-working shepherds who were just doing their jobs. They spent twenty-four hours with the sheep: eating, sleeping, walking, and even talking with their sheep. They were not religious scholars. They were not the elite in society. They were ordinary shepherds. Yet, in the middle of just doing their job, watching over their flocks, they get an angelic visit.
They are surrounded by God’s glory and blessed with God’s peace. We know that He gave them His peace because He singled them out to deliver the news of the birth of His Son. He favored them with this announcement. He gives “peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Nearly all of us have experienced the joy of a birth in the family, whether we’ve experienced it as mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, or even siblings. As we prepared for the arrival of the new family member, we compiled a list of specific people with whom we first wanted to share this news. God Almighty chose to share the news of the birth of His Son with the shepherds who were working in the fields near Bethlehem. Just as God’s favor rested on them, God’s favor also rests on us because He has chosen to share the news of the birth of His Son with us too. We are on God’s list of important people to notify.
Can we join with the “great company of the heavenly host” and say, “Glory to God in the highest”?
Plan of Action:
1. Take a moment to receive God’s peace. Receive God’s blessing.
2. If the news of the birth of Christ as Savior of the world—and your Savior—is new to you, receive Him as the one who can save your life, both now and eternally.
3. Make a list of honors and gifts that you have received through no effort on your part. These may be as simple as exceptional service from a repair person, or you may have inherited a gift from a relative. The favor of good health is certainly a God-given gift. The possibilities are as limitless as our God is creative.
4. Thank God for everything you have listed, and ask Him to open your eyes to see the many favors with which He blesses you everyday.
5. Decide today to purposefully thank God for each new blessing that He bestows upon you from now on, until you see Him face to face.
Prayer: Oh Lord God Almighty, what a privilege to be included on Your list of people with whom You wanted to share the wonderful news of Your Son’s birth! Please help us to faithfully follow Your guidance and share that news with others whom You place in our lives. To think that Your favor—You, the Creator of the universe—is upon such simple working men and women as the shepherds and even upon such simple, ordinary people as we are! We are humbled by Your grace and love. Thank You, our great God and our loving Savior, and glory to You in the highest. In Jesus’ precious, beloved name we pray, Amen.
Cheryl Lynn knows she is one of the Lord’s works-in-progress, serving Him as an ambassador for Christ in the roles of: wife, mother, writer, speaker, teacher, and business woman whenever and wherever He calls her. Her mission is to help equip fellow believers in Christ to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13 NIV). She and her husband live in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. They have two adult children.
