God Shows Up

It’s harder to visualize during the hot summer months, but during Christmas of 1944, American soldiers were dug in against the Germans. The dark, frozen Belgian forest added to the bleak atmosphere. Morale was low, ammo was low, and food supplies were low.

 

But just when things looked the worst, General Patton’s Third Army showed up almost out of nowhere. The men who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and survived remembered many things about that strangest of Christmas holidays.

 

Mostly they remembered the first hot food they’d had in six weeks! The steaming coffee overflowed. The bounty and some rest prepared them to win that battle, and then win the war.

 

Psalm 23:5 says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

 

That’s the way life often works. Your back is to the wall, and God shows up. The reinforcements appear suddenly. The Holy Spirit lifts you up — mind, body, and soul. He feeds us with spiritual nourishment so that we can fight back against evil and prevail.

 

If you’re in a war, don’t give up. God is coming.

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord, you are always with us and that is just one thing that makes you unique. We can’t live without you. In you, we thrive. Amen.