“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways…For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know full well.” – Psalm 139:1-3, 13, 14
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.” – Luke 1:26, 27
#21 – God is Personal
The Christmas story is not only universal in its message and in its application, but it is personal. It is true that “God so loved the world”, but it is equally true that God so loved you! Our God is universal and personal. It can sometimes be easy to get lost in the crowd of the “whosoever”s of the Bible world and forget that God created you as a unique individual with a special purpose in His Kingdom. The Christmas story is about specific people at a specific time in a specific place that God spoke to specifically! God did not ask for volunteers. “Is there a virgin who would be willing to…?” No, He chose Mary…in Nazareth…betrothed to Joe, the carpenter…of the line of David.
God is personal.
The Scriptures tell us that God creates each one of us individually. The Psalm above states that He “knits us together”. In other words, we are each a handcrafted original made by the Master Himself. God made you and He knows your name. The Psalm goes on to say that He knows where you are and what you are doing. He knows your likes and dislikes. He knows your needs and He knows your hurts and struggles. He knows your story.
God is personal.
It is also true that we were made with a purpose in mind. God created you, loves you, and has a purpose for you. God created you for a reason. When Mary was born God knew that He was creating her for a special purpose. She was specifically designed for it. This was no accident. God did not hold auditions. Mary was exactly what He wanted because He had created her for this! Likewise for Joseph…for the shepherds…for the wise men…and even for the unnamed inn keeper.
Yes, God has created the whole world…to infinity and beyond. But, before you get lost in the shuffle of the “universe” know that God personally created you…specifically…by hand…and loves YOU. So, praise the Lord today, who revealed Himself in the flesh (John 1:14) that first Christmas and then, climb into the arms of your heavenly Father who loves you and knows you personally.
Our God is personal.