12 Days of Christmas - PlaylistSample

Julie Meyer – Who Would Have Thought?

I sat down one morning to read the Christmas story. I had my coffee, my slippers, my Bible, and an empty house—the perfect combination for a great bible study. As I read Luke 2, I began thinking, “what I would feel like if I were Mary or Joseph?” In the middle of my pondering, my eyes fell upon Luke 2:8. “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.”

I set down my bible and said to myself, who would have thought that the shepherds were the ones who would get to hear the musical announcement from the host of heaven? This was the one time in history where an angel of the Lord personally came to give the birth announcement of Christ. What was it about the shepherds that caught the gaze of heaven?

Now, this was a big deal. Scripture tells us, “suddenly a multitude of heavenly hosts appeared in the sky.” So with this great multitude, why not announce it to the whole city? Why not have the host of heaven surround Herod’s palace singing the good tidings of great joy before all of the guards, the palace officials, and even Herod himself?

But, what drew the Father’s gaze to these lowly shepherds tending their flocks and living in the fields?

Isn’t it just like our heavenly Father to choose the insignificant things of the earth to reveal His glory? He is ever-watching, ever-gazing, and no matter the social class, no matter where one should find themselves on the ladder of success, the Lord looks at the heart. He looks at the humble. All of the choices we make for God when no one is looking; every time we say yes to God when no one is around to hear it... He sees. He hears.

As you meditate on Luke 2, make it personal. Put yourself in the story. Remember that nothing is unnoticed by God and nothing is overlooked. Just as His eyes are on the sparrow, so are His beautiful eyes upon you. He chose you.

“Who would have thought that lowly shepherds Guarding their flock by night Oh that they would be caught in the gaze of heaven Chosen to hear the song of praise the angels sang”