God's Voice That First Christmas

I have been meditating on God's wonderful voice that surrounded the first Christmas - think about it - all these people heard God's voice in supernatural ways (mostly through angelic visitations).

I can't think of any time in history when there was this amount of angelic visitation surrounding an event. I can't recall any other time when God spoke quite so dramatically and as often as this, to so many different people. I have tried to list these events in chronological order:

Lu. 1:8-25 Zacharias (a priest who ministered in the presence of God) had a visitation from the angel Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. Gabriel told him he would have a son and that he would remain mute until the child was born. Zacharias obeyed the Lord and called his son John.

Lu. 1:26-38 Mary (a simple Godly young woman who was favored by the Lord) had a visitation from the angel Gabriel who told her she would conceive and give birth to Jesus - she yielded to God's word and obeyed 

Matt. 1:20-24 Joseph (a simple carpenter) had an angelic visitation in a dream - the angel carried the message of God that Joseph should make Mary his wife and that she would have a child - Jesus. Joseph obeyed everything that he was told to do.

Matt. 2:1-12 Wise men from the east (educated men) heard God's voice through signs in the stars, through the prophets, and in a dream. The wise men obeyed everything the Lord directed them to do and say.

Lu. 2:8-20 Shepherds (simple working men) had a visit from and angel and a short time later from a whole host of angels who praised God. The shepherds obeyed the call to visit Jesus in Bethlehem

Matt. 2:13- 14 Joseph had a visit from an angel in a dream. The angel gave specific instructions that Joseph should take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because Herod was seeking to kill him. Joseph obeyed everything that he was told to do.

Matt. 2:19-21 Joseph had another visitation from an Angel in a dream telling him to take his family back to Israel. Joseph obeyed everything the angel told him to do.

Matt. 2:22-23 Joseph was spoken to by God in a dream and given instructions to go and live in Nazareth. He obeyed what the Lord told him to do.

Each of these people heard God's voice in a way that was specific to them - how they would best be able to hear and be impacted by God's message of hope. The Lord designed each visitation of His voice in a way that best suited these listeners. For example, God showed Himself to the wise men through the signs they were used to seeing and interpreting. I can imagine that the Shepherds were hardened men who needed some sort of dramatic display in order to believe it was really the voice of God, so the Lord showed up very dramatically with a choir of angels.

There is no indication that any of these people had heard God's voice like this before, and yet each one immediately obeyed what the Lord was saying.

Let us turn our ears to God's voice this Christmas - let us be open to hearing what He has to say. He is our Emmanuel - God who is always with us! He spoke when Jesus was conceived and born - He is still speaking today and his grace is renewed in our hearts. He is able to speak to each of us in a way that has the greatest ability to impact our lives - I love Him for that!!