Glorious Presence

By Joni Eareckson Tada|Published On: December 21, 2023|Categories: Daily Devotional|

“The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”
Matthew 2:9-10

I love windy, dark nights, and for this Christmas painting, I tried to capture it all. The Holy Family and the sheep on the hillside were rendered with only a few brushstrokes altogether. But the night sky? I painted an explosive, blinding star ripping apart the darkness.

Who knows what that night long ago was like—did clouds split dramatically to frame the sizzling-hot star, or was the night canopy clear and calm? Either way, this holy night was like none other.

For it was the moment when God entered human history as never before, like it says in John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

Jesus willingly left behind the glory of heaven to make his home among us. Whatever your lowly circumstances today, Jesus came to make his home with you. Let the truth of that realization shine like this bright star, dispelling all gloom and fear.

Jesus, thank you that you left the glories of heaven and chose to live a humble life full of limitations, disappointment, and pain. Thank you for being with me in my own experiences of pain and lowliness, redeeming them with a glory that outshines even that star from long ago.