Come to the Waters

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1: 21)

During the Christmas season we are surrounded by reminders of Christ.  The manger scene at the corner church, the greeting cards adorned with angels and the carols playing in every store should cause us to worship.  Yet often we don’t even notice them.

Ironically, we women can get so caught up in the externals of the season that Christmas can be a dry time for us spiritually.  We rush around baking, visiting, decorating and shopping, hoping to create the best Christmas season ever.  Yet these externals don’t satisfy the deep longings of our hearts.  Like the Psalmist, our spirits cry out,

“my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63: 1

In the midst of all this activity, the Lord invites us to “Be still and know that I am God.”  His Spirit calls out to us to quench our thirsty souls in Christ.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” (Isa. 55:1-2)

This year’s 12 Days of Christmas series will be focused on the Names of Christ as expressed in some popular Christmas carols.  Our sin-sick souls need to be reminded of the Gospel of grace daily, and the Christmas hymns are just what the doctor ordered.  They remind us that the baby in the manger was

“Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.”

It is our prayer this busy holiday season that these Christmas carols will afford you with precious opportunities to pause and meditate on who Christ is.   Think on Him as you read the devotions written by women just like yourself, praying that the Lord will minister to you through the songs and Scriptures presented.  And think on Him again as the Lord gives you opportunity to catch the refrain of one of the featured carols while you are out shopping or sitting at the doctor’s office.

I pray this season that you will not find yourself in that “dry and weary land where there is no water.”  But if you do, don’t stay there.  Come to the waters.

About The Author

Writer / Editorial Board Molly Evert and her husband David have been married for 18 years. They spent the first several years of marriage serving as missionaries, and now they reside in Georgia. Molly stays busy homeschooling her four boys, ages 4 to 12, as well as writing and speaking. Molly is the creator of My Audio School, a website which provides educational audio content for children. She is a writer for the Georgia Home Educator's Association, and she writes a ministry blog and a blog for home educators. She also teaches at women's conferences. You can find her articles and teaching podcasts on her blogs at: Countercultural Mom Countercultural School My Audio School.