Advent at Ararat - Day 14: Adversity can’t prevent God’s Promise.

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For the next two days we will be looking at the same portion of scripture we have considered the last two days.

Here, we are in the part of the story where it is time for the promise to be revealed, as our Lord took His first breath as one of us.

As we have discussed, the humility of the King of glory making His fleshly entrance in a manger, is beyond my personal comprehension. Imagine, the first scents into His precious nostrils were of lowly animals!

Along with this unimaginable scene, let’s take a step back and look at the fact that the promise of God was not prevented by adverse circumstances. Indeed, you will find throughout the Bible—as is often true in our own lives—that adversity can actually be the womb for God’s promises.

Look at the classic example of Abraham and Sarah. They had been given a promise, but with the passage of time, it seemed that the fulfillment became less and less likely. Oh, but that’s only how it is in the “natural.”

“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I like how Hebrews puts Sarah‘s assurance of her promise even in the face of adversity:

“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The fulfillment of God’s promises is not dependent on perfect circumstances; but rather, it is dependent on the perfect faithfulness of He who has promised.

There was no room in the inn, so a very tired couple had to deliver their firstborn son in a manger. But none of the scents, sounds, or other adversities kept He Who was promised for centuries, He Who was personally promised to Mary and Joseph, from making His entrance into time, changing everything forever.

For today meditate on the fact that God’s promises are often realized in the midst of adversity. Be assured of the fact that God’s promises don’t check with your circumstances to determine whether they can be fulfilled. This also applies to the fact that it doesn’t matter what anybody says, or how it looks in the world, Jesus will come again, just as He said He would.

Finally, remember, the promises of God haven’t come into your adversity to die; on the contrary, perhaps that is where they will be born!

Peace to you.

#adventatararat