The Lord Always Provides

The Lord Always Provides

Scripture

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:6-7 NIV

The Lord Always Provides

All the girls wanted to be angels. I thought to myself, "How many angels appeared to the shepherds? I hope ten of them." Then, I started praying, "Please, Lord, send me some animals." That was the beginning of Children’s Christmas play practice.

Thirty minutes earlier, my friends Aimee, Kasey, and I had ventured up to the church attic and discovered three boxes of children's costumes. We carried them downstairs and began taking inventory. Mary and Joseph—check. Three wise men and three shepherds—check. I even found a star costume! With ten angels in mind, we still needed five more halos and wings. The boxes had sheep costumes, but no cows or donkeys. To Amazon I went. After quickly placing an order (I even found camel costumes!), I turned to the children and began assigning roles. Since he was two, my son Grant had refused to stand on stage for any school program. But he has a weakness for anything gold and shiny. I found a dazzling gold and blue wise man costume in one of the boxes. For the first time in his life, Grant agreed to be in a play. I filled all the other roles, found two high school narrators, and dismissed the children. Three more practices to go.

The costumes were ordered, but next we needed a script, a manger, and a backdrop. I wanted to keep it simple. The plan was to have two narrators read from the book of Luke while the children acted out the story. Then we would sing "Silent Night," "Away in a Manger," and "Joy to the World." I went to Pinterest, but every script was either too long or written in King James English. So, I created my own. It was directly from the Bible, telling the story of the first Christmas evening—simple and historically accurate. Then I began thinking about the various talents within our church. Justin is a whiz with woodworking, so I asked him to build a manger. Chelsea is the DIY queen of our town, and she gladly agreed to create our backdrop.

By the second practice, the children were ready. But we still needed more animals—two donkeys and two cows, to be exact. And the star costume kept falling off. She was three and full of energy. Sitting still was not yet one of her strengths, but she looked cute, and that was all that mattered. I knew the beauty of a children’s play was in the bloopers.

The night arrived. And the Lord provided! At every practice, we had ten core children, with five or six new ones showing up each time. On the night of the production, everyone showed up except for two. We even had four new children. And guess what? All the animal roles were filled. The star even agreed to be a donkey, and a last-minute child stepped in to take the vacant role.

As all the precious little ones lined up outside the sanctuary, my eyes welled with tears. It had all come together. I knew it would. God had provided, just as He always does. The play was a success! Grant stood on stage the entire time and even sang. The new star sat still in her spot the whole play. The donkey, of course, roamed the stage, but it was adorable and made everyone smile. One angel stole the show with dramatic hand motions to every song. As the play ended, I took a deep breath and looked around. God had done it again. He provided for our needs while reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas—and God used precious little children to deliver the message. Even better!

Biblical Lesson

The Old Testament foretold the birth of Jesus. God would send His Son to save the world, and in a manger, His promises came to fruition. Once born, the Savior would perform one miracle after another to reveal His divine ancestry. The first miracle began in His mother’s womb—a virgin birth. Impossible? Not with God. Isaiah had prophesied it would happen, though few likely believed it was possible.

God was faithful and kept His promises. From the house of David came Jesus, born in Bethlehem, among animals. This baby would save us all. The books of Micah and Jeremiah each shared a part of our Savior’s story, and all of it came to pass.

In a stable, Mary and Joseph welcomed their newborn son. Such a humble beginning for our King. Here, the lesson began. God wanted us to understand that Jesus was placed on Earth for everyone—rich or poor, wise men or shepherds. Our Savior was sent to serve all of God’s children. Our Father in heaven not only made His word flesh, but He also began to show us that His word never fails and that no one is beyond His reach. Enjoy this holiday season and remember nothing is impossible with God.

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for Jesus and His miraculous birth. Help me remember today that with you, nothing is impossible. Amen.