Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), 1867
Coram Deo … “before the face of / in the presence of G_d”. That’s the big idea. Next to this idea our other goals and ambitions become mere trifles. Beloved, if you’ve ever read any of the entries in this blog, you might have seen a few themes developing, but one should be unmistakable: IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS CHRIST.
Friends, as believers we are indwelt by the very Person of Christ through His Holy Spirit. We can experience His intimate Presence in an ongoing real experience. He brings the things that we ever longed for in our days before He came into us. He brings real Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and that ever-elusive Self-Control into our lives. If you live in this space you know it. If you don’t – wouldn’t you like to know Him?
But so many of us live like G_d is not even there. We talk about Him like He’s not even in the room. Then, we look at the disaster around us, called the world, and think that surely G_d is somehow missing.
Oh, how we want to blame Him! To somehow shake our fists at that Someone so as to pass off the responsibility for the mess we’ve made. We try, sometimes for a lifetime, to blame the One who actually is ready, watching, and able to fix it all.
Yeah, all of it.
You see, our salvation ripped through the surface of time in the cry of a tiny Baby two thousand years ago. He Lived a life that made Him worthy to Die a death that fixed the entire problem. He beat death to hell, and brought each human being to the place where they can immediately live their entire existence in the very near presence of their Creator. It’s a stunning life; quiet, powerful, righteous, joyful, and full of His unfathomable PEACE. And, gloriously, we get to share this life with everyone around us.
Confused? Don’t be. G_d is here. Right here, right now – really. We have but to look His direction, and ask for His help. HE WILL DO IT. Ask Him to fix your life, and be willing to let Him do it… He will do it. It’s not just a one-off kind of thing. We can scale this all the way up to the entire population of the planet (i’ve seen it working in the worst places).
- if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
And let’s not ever forget the Hope brought by Christmas! We get to live Coram Deo!
- You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
_________________________________________
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
____________________________________
