Today is Nov 22, 2021.
I paused before going for my daily walk.(The pic is from a walk from last week).
An advent devotional on my table,"Prepare Him Room" by Susie Larson, given by a friend; caught my eye, and so this thought: The stable in which my Savior was born into, literally was and is the condition of the human heart! I know the scripture references as to why there was no rooms in Bethlehem, and why Mary and Joesph ended up in barn, (Luke chapters 1 and 2 a good read to chew upon)... But, so did Father God and I think He likes to use
everything to tell His stories and make His points.
Of course, I was not in the stable where Jesus was born, however, like most barns anywhere it was anything but pristine - in other words not clean. To be sure there was a dirt floor, complete with bugs, animal dung, half eaten animal feed, (hay, grains, maybe leftover food from the inn given for the animals to finish off - and so maggots). I'm sure the beams/woodwork, gates and stalls were worn, old, weathered. The nails used to hold pieces of wood together were rusted, if they used iron nails. They may have used wooden pegs that may have been broken or burrowed through by termintes... And let's not forget that the barn was dark, OPEN to the elements and public and had ANIMALS... I think you've got the picture. Not a five star Inn.
Would Mary have tried to tidy her sleeping quarters - was that a possibility - she was "great with child"? Did Joesph try? They had just traveled some miles for days... I suppose they were both overwhelmed to put it mildly... They both did their best to clean up and settle end for the adventure that was just beginning... But in the
barn... Where Jesus the Son of God came
into the
world... into the
heart.
Hearts before Jesus are: dark, dirty filled with unwanted vermin, oddly some invited. Without care or concern the heart hardens, breaks, turns cold... Some hearts are so deep in need of repair that people don't even believe they
are in need of anything... It is into these hearts, (everyone), that Jesus desires to come. He makes every effort to make a home in such places... He desires to wash such hearts with His very blood - the only thing that can "prepare him room". Jesus is the ONLY ONE who
can prepare His room - our
hearts. No more could Mary and Joseph prepare the stable for His birth, can we prepare our hearts. It is only Jesus - His grace via His Blood.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Nina B.
I should note: The formatting of this post and others are off! It bothers me a bit that I do not see the paragraphs or breaks I've used prior to pulishing. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but no doubt it's the age of this blog and there was something I was supposed to do a while ago and didn't...But it's ok... :-)
