By: Jessika Sanders
But the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” -Luke 2:10 NLT
Could joy be found in a cold, dark hospital room?
About the Scripture
Though our culture often depicts angels as friendly beings dressed in simple white gowns with large white feathered wings and golden halos, the Bible’s depiction of angels is much different. Many of the angel encounters we read of in passages (Genesis 18, Genesis 19, Judges 6, Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 12, Luke 24) suggest that angels are awesome in every meaning of the word. Awesome in importance, in authority, in power, and in knowledge.
And because of this, it isn’t any wonder that in the first two chapters of Luke (with Zechariah and Mary in chapter 1 and with the shepherds in the field in chapter 2) the angels appear and some of the first words out of their mouths are spoken to ease the minds of those they are visiting.
In Luke 2 we read of the shepherds in the field keeping watch over their flock at night. If you’ve ever been out in the country away from the steady glow of the city lights, surrounded by only the soft twinkling of stars and the steady glow of the moon, you know just how dark the night sky can be. So in verse 9 when the “angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,” you can imagine how and why the shepherds were filled with great fear!
But what I love most about this passage are the words that follow the angel’s cautionary preamble, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people." This good news wasn’t just the birth of a baby, it was the event that initiated what we know as the gospel! John 3:16 NLT says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” The good news that came with Jesus’ birth (death and his resurrection) wasn’t just for the people of then, it was for all people–including our present generation, and the generations still to come! The good news of the gospel is what gives us hope–it is a bright, shining light in the darkness.
My Story
My son’s due date was mid-December and despite living in hot and humid Florida, our house looked like a winter wonderland. Pine needle garland hung from fixtures and the tree was trimmed. The soft glow of the tiny white lights in waves of lush greenery made my heart purr with comfort and joy. Our friends and family were eagerly awaiting the good news of our son’s arrival, and at 42 weeks pregnant, so was I. My mind drifted and dreamed of what it would be like once he joined us. What a joyous time it would be to sit on our comfy couch with my husband and with our long-awaited baby in our arms. What joy we would experience watching our daughters unwrap their presents as Christmas music played softly in the background.
Our son Ezra was born on December 21, 2019 weighing a surprising 4 pounds 14 ounces. When he experienced a seizure, our festive family room was quickly traded for an ambulance ride and a tiny hospital room in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As the days to Christmas dwindled, so too did the likelihood of a joyful Christmas spent together in our home as a family of five.
But when my parents (who stepped in to care for our 6 and 3 year old while we remained by Ezra’s bedside) graciously decided to bring Christmas to the hospital, it’s as if a single ray of light shone into the darkness of our circumstances. Could joy still be found in a cold, dark hospital room? I wasn’t sure, but my heart was willing to give it a try.
My parents filled Santa sacks with a few of the gifts we had purchased for our girls. They packed the tupperware with the assortment of cookies we had spent days baking. And they loaded our girls in the car. I’ll never forget seeing my daughters run down the hallway to me.
Overcome with emotion, it was at this moment that I realized Christmas wasn’t about the decorations, matching pajamas, presents, or sweet treats. As I hugged and kissed my children in the cold hospital setting devoid of holiday decorations, I learned Christmas was about The Giver. Christmas, at its core, was about The One who not only gave me the gift of my family, but who gave me good news that brings me great joy–even when I’m in a cold, dark hospital room with my sick child.
Reflection
You see, whether it be during the holidays (or any time of the year), even greater than the gift of our families is the gift The Giver has given all of us.
The real gift is found in the announcement of the angel back in Luke 2: the good news that will bring great joy to all people. If we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, declaring it with our mouths and believing it with our hearts, John 3:16 tells us we’ll get to spend all of eternity with our God (and hopefully with the beloved gifts He has given us).
What truly good news it is that one day God will right all wrongs and do away with sickness and death once and for all (Revelation 21:4). This promise of redemption is one that should bring us great joy! This promise is one that should help us to persevere through the trials of this earthly life knowing that God’s not done until it’s good. This good news should be the hope that sustains us in the waiting until the day Eden is restored.
Invitation
Though your circumstances may be anything but joyful, when you focus on the long game fixing your eyes on the things above (Colossians 3:2) and what is to come, you can find everlasting joy in the good news of the gospel!
Have you ever made a list of God’s promises to us? A list of all the things that are to come?
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 encourages us to write God’s Word on our hearts, and I’m inviting you to write your favorite scriptures of God’s promises on index cards or post-it notes to serve as visual reminders of the good news and great joy that belong to you. Post them around your room, your office, or even in your car to fix your eyes on the joy that is yours.
Some scriptures to get you started:
John 3:16
Philippians 1:6
Philippians 3:21
Romans 8:18
Revelation 21:3
Revelation 21:4
Prayer
Promisekeeper, God of redemption, I thank you for the gift of the gospel! As I navigate this messy middle between The Garden of Eden and Eden Restored, I thank you for the promise that my worst days are just waiting to be redeemed by you. I thank you for the promise that my present sufferings will one day pale in comparison to the glory to be revealed. God, as I walk this out, I pray that you would renew my mind to fully comprehend the enormity of the precious gift of the gospel. Keep my heart soft to you so that I can overflow with the joy of the good news.
Jessika Sanders is a published writer who has been featured in Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Hope When Your Heart is Heavy devotional (2021), Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Jr. magazine (2023), and Tyndale’s So God Made a Mother (2023). She is also the co-author of The Good Book Company's, In His Hands: Prayers for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis ( July 2024). Jessika is also the founder and president of Praying Through ministries.
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