Joy Bombs in the Psalms – Room in the Inn Edition! | Psalm 96

It’s time for Joy Bombs in the Psalms. All this week, you and I have been preparing our hearts to receive the Christ child, whose birth we’re about to celebrate. Today we reflect on the love that came down for you and I that very first Christmas. Join me now in Psalm 96.

Special thanks to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, for bringing us the Bible For Busy People this Christmas season!

Show Notes:

Let the Stable Still Astonish!
by Leslie Leyland Fields
Let the stable still astonish:
Straw-dirt floor, dull eyes,
Dusty flanks of donkeys, oxen;
Crumbling, crooked walls;
No bed to carry that pain,
And then, the child, rag-wrapped laid to cry
In a trough.
Who would have chosen this?
Who would have said:
“Yes, Let the God of Heaven and Earth be born in this place.”
Who but the same God
Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms of our hearts
And says,
“Yes, let the God of Heaven and Earth be born in THIS place.”

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Transcription:

Remember how last time I was telling you about that beautiful poem about the Christ child being born in the manger of our hearts? I found it and I’m so excited to share it with you, and I’ll do that near the end of today’s episode. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and it’s Friday so you know what time it is. It’s time for Joy Bombs in the Psalms. All this week, you and I have been preparing our hearts to receive the Christ child, whose birth we’re about to celebrate, aren’t we? Some of us have already begun. Maybe your Christmas tree is up. I know I want my Christmas tree to be up. I don’t have the time. Hey, that’s why we call this podcast the Bible for Busy People, but oh boy, I would just love to see the beautiful twinkling lights on my tree tonight.

Instead, I’ll probably light a really nice pine candle and again, reflect on the love that came down for you and I that very first Christmas. Join me now in Psalm 96, as you and I continue to bring up the good towels so to speak, in inn of our hearts for our sweet Lord.

Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! 2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

This week we’ve been reflecting on the words of the angel, right on that first Christmas, Hey, a savior has been born to you. I’ve got good news, and this is a time, a moment for you and I to just pitch a tent and go, that’s right. The bad news is I’m a sinner. You’re a sinner. But God sent his son. He sent us a savior and that is the best good news of all time, for all time. Okay, verse three, now.

Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. 4 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.

And that word feared can be confusing sometimes too. I’m sure it’s like in the Chronicles of Narnia when Mrs. Beaver says, I don’t know anybody who could stand before Aslan, the lion, the Christ, figure in those stories without their knees a-knocking. Of course, we are to fear God, but it’s more a fear that reveres him. It’s a reverential kind of fear like you’re in awe. God is to be feared that way. Verse five now.

The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!

Think about that. He made the stars, including the Bethlehem star that led the wise men, the three kings to the king of kings. Verse six, now.

Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.

Think about that for a moment when it says, honor and majesty surround him. You know when Santa comes to a party and all of the kids go rushing up to him, and they’re looking for a candy cane or a present with their name on it? Honor and majesty surround our God that way. Wherever he is, there is honor and majesty all around him, all around him. Verse seven, now.

O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. 8 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts.

I just want to say I believe more than anything God wants your presence, your precious time with him this Christmas. But even more importantly, he wants to give you the joy that comes from when you and I enter into His Presence as we’ve been talking about all week.

Worship the Lord

Verse nine says,

in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. 10 Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly. 11 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! 12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.

Amen. That’s true. The Bible gave us prophets. God promised us through his prophets in the Bible that he would send his Son, the Lord Jesus to come and save us. And Jesus came. Jesus said that he would die for us, and he did. Jesus said that he would rise again, and he did. Jesus said He’s coming back, and he will. I believe that with all my heart.

Now, as promised, I want to wrap up this beautiful week you and I have had together with some beautiful words that poem by Leslie Leland Fields, and I want to end our time on her remarkable prayer of the sentence. So I’m going to tell you right now till next time, you are loved. Okay. This is Let the Stable Still Astonish:

Straw-dirt floor, dull eyes,
Dusty flanks of donkeys, oxen;
Crumbling, crooked walls;
No bed to carry that pain,
And then, the child, rag-wrapped laid to cry
In a trough.
Who would have chosen this?
Who would have said:
“Yes, Let the God of Heaven and Earth be born in this place.”
Who but the same God
Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms of our hearts
And says,
“Yes, let the God of Heaven and Earth be born in THIS place.”

Thank you for making space to study the Bible with me today. If you feel something stirring in your soul, that’s the God who made you, saying, I love you and I want to know you. It’s what Christmas is all about. Jesus came for you so that your soul would know its worth. He came to bring joy to the world, and to your world. It’s the most beautiful love story ever written, and it’s true. It’s the greatest rescue mission in history, and it was for you. If you want to respond to that stirring in your soul, to know Jesus a little better, please take a moment and check out our show notes, where you’ll find lots of hope and encouragement for your journey.

The Bible for Busy people is brought to you this Christmas season by Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Every day and every night, their team is on a mission to share the good news with our neighbors who are homeless. Like the angels who came on the night, Jesus was born. They make sure that every person who walks through the doors of the Mission knows that there is hope because Jesus came, and how much He loves them. Every person they meet on the street encounters the love of Christ through a friendly smile, a warm blanket, a cup of cocoa, and an invitation to take that next step toward healing from addiction or mental illness. If you want to be part of making sure every soul knows its worth in Seattle this Christmas, volunteer or donate at ugm.org. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

This podcast is one branch of a Christmas tree called Purposely, a network designed to connect you with life-giving conversations, and to inspire you to find and live out God’s purpose for your life. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose.