Today’s devotional is by Rachel Dobson
In a very joyful and upbeat carol, which encapsulates the excitement and hope of the Christmas story, we are encouraged not to ‘dismay’ but to remember Christ our Saviour. It is a call which is as relevant today as it was when the carol was published in the 18th century, although earlier versions predate this.
The reason we are encouraged not to dismay is because Christ has come to save us from Satan’s power. What greater reason have we to rejoice than the fact that Jesus came to destroy sin and death? And how apt for us to reflect on this here and now, as we would be justified in saying that there is much within our world today to rightly cause much dismay.
In verse two, we’re reminded that it was to shepherds that the incredible news of the Saviour’s birth was delivered. They arose and left ‘the Son of God to find’. The news of the Messiah’s arrival – the coming of God’s chosen means of redemption for the whole world – was delivered first to humble shepherds. Jesus was their Messiah and He is our Messiah too.
The carol ends with the most fitting of calls: ‘Now to the Lord sing praises’. We have an incredible and unshakable hope that all who trust in Jesus, His death and resurrection have been delivered from death to life – tidings of great comfort and joy indeed!