He Appeared and the Soul Felt its Worth
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
’Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
One of my favorite titles of God is El Roi, the God Who Sees. In Exodus 3:7-8, God declares He
has seen the affliction
has given heed to their cry
is aware of their sufferings.
“So I have come down to deliver them.”
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
’Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
He sees us, He hears us, He is aware, and He has come down to deliver us. Jesus’ birth demonstrates definitively for the world that the soul has found its worth, that with his birth the soul is seen, acknowledged, valued, and feels its worth.
2022 was the first time in decades of ministry I wanted to quit. Stop reaching out. Give up teaching the Word, speaking, spiritual direction, facilitating, counseling, consulting. Shut down Psalm One. It shocked me but I wanted to give up multiple times, sometimes multiple times a day. Has anyone felt that depleted, dejected, or defeated in the last few years?
But God saw my affliction, He heard my cry, He was aware of my suffering. He kept inviting me away on sabbatical, extended time alone with Jesus to rest, recover, decompress, receive, and re-enter with renewed healing, vision, and freedom. He miraculously orchestrated a prayer pilgrimage that would take me back to the places I dearly loved, give me time with friends who are very much family, love me though an intimately personalized journey. He gave me so many opportunities to minister from a healthy place. He released me from burdens that He had not put on my back. He sprinkled the journey with divine appointments with diverse people from around the world. He restored my joy and laughter. He brought endless close encounters with life-giving creation and amazing creatures, because He knows my love language.
If it had not been for this sabbatical, I would have been collateral damage. I would have been down for the count. But I am here, still in love with Jesus, still committed to serving the Lord and loving people. Jesus thought my soul was worth saving. He thought my ministry of soul care was worth saving. The soul felt its worth.
Ministry has increasingly complex challenges nowadays. How do we even begin to meet the needs? How do we release the toxicity yet not throw the baby out with the bathwater? How do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He heals and leads the Church? How do we come alongside our friends and family who are struggling with faith issues of various kinds? How do we hold together truth and love? How do we maneuver through the minefields of people who see things differently—and may be more eager to attack than dialogue? How do we hold onto peace in the splintered community? How do we tend our own exhausted, conflicted and isolated souls? How do we love well?
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
The word “weary” sums it up for a lot of us in the last few years. But the Word is still all about life breaking forth where death has been. I certainly do not have all the answers, but in 2023, I hope to share some of the gifts of the sabbatical with others as we seek to rejoice in a new and glorious morn, to love as Jesus loves, and to rest in our dear Savior. Could you use a shot of hope and new life? May the soul feel its worth and may we draw near.
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Grace and peace,
Linda