Daily Awakening, a devotional by Stephen Hill

February 8
A Word from Heaven
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:8, 10

I wonder what these shepherds had been discussing just prior to that “heavenly interruption.” Perhaps they had just finished counting the sheep and were discussing one that was missing. Or, one of them could have been commenting that the shepherd’s pie he’d eaten for supper had given him indigestion. Of course, the new tax census Caesar Augustus ordered may have dominated their conversation.

You see, man spends much of his brief earthly sojourn choking on the smog of senseless speculations when what he needs to take in is a fresh word from heaven’s throne. Being consumed with current events can lead us to be so engrossed in earthly things that when God does come on the scene with a fresh word, we often get frightened or angry. Be it a word of instruction, a prophetic word or a rebuking word—our reaction is pretty predictable. We are often startled and afraid, as were the shepherds, or we may become religious and offended like those of the synagogue in Nazareth (see Luke 4:28). Some even shake with conviction as Felix did after hearing the words of Paul (see Acts 24:25).
The shepherds stopped their chitchat long enough to hear a fresh word from heaven and it changed their lives forever. Do you find yourself buried in the deluge of worldly words? Shake them off and seek the fresh breath of heaven for your life and the lives of others.

Remember, we live in a world that desperately needs to hear these heavenly words:

“Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy!”