Hope**Joy**Peace

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.'"  

-Luke 2:9-10

It was rather frightening for the shepherds to see the glory of the Lord fill the dark skies above them.  The fact that they, lowly shepherds, were told about the birth of the Messiah, was amazing in itself.  Verse 13 tells us a multitude of angels then appeared praising God saying, "Glory to God in the Highest."

How would you react if  you experienced such a thing?  Oswald Chamber says,

When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him.  When He says, "Let not your heart be troubled," if you see Him I defy you to trouble your mind, it is a moral impossibility to doubt when He is there.  Every time you get into personal contact with Jesus, His words are real.  "My peace I give unto you," it is a peace all over from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, an irrepressible confidence.

After the angels departed the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Betlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."  Do you have this kind of irrepressible confidence?

I am grateful to experience the peace that only God can give.