The Night Before Christmas

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said…

Have you commanded The Morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place

And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter[fn] said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”

In the wee small hours of the mourning, when the whole wide world is fast asleep, where the suffering soul is awake in her dark night before Christmas, silently screaming, “Why, God? Why?” while the church is chastising for lack of faith, God does not remain silent. Does not chastise for a lack of faith when the suffering soul is pressing up against Him with her “why’s.” No. Raging screams full of doubt and despair are welcomed. Heard. Understood. And attended to. Because The Morning has been commanded to assuage her grief. to bring relief. Every bleeding woman in her long dark night before Christmas is already in the presence of The Morning. That she might see the Light in her night, feel the warmth from the rays of His Lashes as she thrashes.

For there is healing in this Sun of Righteousness. and Mercy in His Eyes.

Primal pain. Guttural suffering. Isolates us. Unrelates us. From family and friends. Even, it seems, isolates and unrelates us from the God that sits up on the throne in heaven, looking down. Doing nothing. When he has the power to stop the bleeding. And doesn’t. Most especially this pain, this suffering, this isolation is often felt the night before Christmas.

And if the book of Job is read, interpreted, as a conversation between the suffering soul and a God who sits, unmoving, up on the throne in heaven, then there is no healing. If we down here in the land of the living carry the words of Job up into heaven - we will be kicked out, only to fall back into our dark graven garden, where there is nothing but death and decay to keep us company. And that fall from heaven is long, and the hurt even greater that the hurt being inflicted by disease, by betrayal, by the very thing making us bleed when we don’t receive the “Christmas” gift for which we beg. No, the book of Job must be read as a conversation between the suffering soul and the LORD who is walking in the midst of that same graven garden in the cool of our day, in our night before Christmas, carrying His Word, from Heaven, down to us. As a conversation between the suffering soul who sits silently alone and the LORD who withdraws Himself, also, from the rest of The World, to be alone… not just with us, but with me. and with you. To bring His Word to us.

Yes. The book of Job must be read, interpreted, as a conversation between the suffering soul who is unable to do anything for herself (much less carry the words from the Book up to Heaven) and the LORD who leaves His throne of Heaven to be with us. To Suffer for us. To Redeem us from our world of pain. To deliver to us, faith, because we can do nothing in the depths of our deep dark night. Yes, Christ alone can only bring us. His Word. His Morning. Christmas. Light.

The same star that was commanded to guide the Magi to Bethlehem is also commanded to guide the soul, darkened by doubt and despair, through the deep dark night before Christmas of mourning… to The Morning. This same Light shines all the way from that ancient star to guide you, too, to Jesus, Our Morning, who already stands in our presence, in the cool of our day, to warm us with His Rays.

From the Gospel of Job, we can see The Eyelids of the Morning, seeing us. Just like He saw the bleeding woman. In her night before Christmas.

The book of Job is not for those secure in their faith, but have so little faith left. Nor is it for those strong in the security of circumstances, but weakened beyond repair. It is only for those in the cool mist of doubt, in the dark depths of despair. Waiting. In their night before Christmas. For Morning to arrive. That she might have faith. to believe, once again.

And He already has. Our Morning of Christmas has arrived. Commanded to be with you. with me. with us. since our days began. His Power already gone out from Him, who sits on the throne of Heaven, to be with us. Here. In the land of the living. in our night before Christmas.

Yes.

Emmanuel.

God.

Is.

With.

Us.

Believe.

Your Faith.

Jesus Himself.

our greatest Gift

from Heaven.

by grace

Has made you well.

©2019 Jeanne Whitman all rights reserved