He Comes to Calm Our Troubled Hearts – December 20, 2022

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:20

He Comes to Calm Our Troubled Hearts

In the middle of the night, fear or worry crosses your mind and disturbs your sleep. Worry about a mountain of work that’s waiting for you the next day or fear of the test you will take in school tomorrow. Whatever is troubling you hits you in the middle of the night when all you want is rest.

Imagine Joseph tossing and turning one night. He discovers that the woman he is about to marry is pregnant and plans to divorce her quietly. Imagine the pain he felt—the pain of a broken promise and crushed dreams. But a promise hadn’t been broken. A promise was being kept.

The Lord sent a message in a dream to calm Joseph’s troubled heart. He said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” “Do not be afraid.” you hear that phrase here and several other times surrounding the birth of Jesus. An angel said to Mary, “don’t be afraid…” On the night Jesus was born, an angel said to troubled shepherds, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news!”

Jesus came to calm our troubled hearts. By nature, the thought of God coming to us—even one of God’s angels—is terrifying. But Jesus, true God in human flesh, came not just to say, “Don’t be afraid.” He takes away every reason to be afraid in God’s presence because he took away your sin. He knows what troubles you and what makes you toss and turn at night. He cares, and he comforts. Your Savior, Jesus comes to you through his Word and says, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven! You have peace with God! Don’t be afraid.”

And he will come again for all the world to see. Then his greatness and power, as true God, won’t be hidden. Then he will say to you, “Don’t be afraid.” Remember, He’s taken away every reason to be afraid because he’s taken away your sin. Rest in that reality!

Prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus, and calm my troubled heart! Amen.