Praise!

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:13‭-‬14 NLT

Even the heavens rejoiced at the birth of Jesus, the Saviour. I wonder what could have caused the joy. Heaven must have foreknown the events at Calvary, where the most powerful One would be at the mercy of created beings, and would be put to death in the most shameful and public way, yet Heaven rejoiced. Heaven must have known that the Saviour would be treated like the scum of the earth, would be rejected and despised by the very ones he came to save, yet Heaven rejoiced. There must have been something known to Heaven at the time, which was not visible at the time to the mortals on earth.

Today's extract, which talks about the events at His birth, gives a window into Heaven at the time. Everything about the birth of the Saviour was unusual: he was born in the feeding trough of animals, not in any medical establishment. He was declared a king, yet the palace had no room for him. Wise men came from very far, worshipping the One they recognized from his star as a king, while Herod, the present king, was plotting how to take the baby's life. When the angel would annouce the birth, he left the cities and the rich, and went to lowly shepherds, who didn't even have a place to sleep that night. All these point to one fact: The Saviour is for all men, irrespective of origin, class, prestige, social standing or qualification.

Check out the words of the angel: Glory to God in the highest. There is no doubt about the Lordship and Authority of God, and his power extends to the earth also, where his creation dwells. His gift has brought peace and goodwill, which had always been his plan from the creation of the world. For as many as would accept the gift, the peace offered becomes a reality. For as long as the world rejects the Giver of Peace, it cannot know peace.

Today, the same message goes out: Peace has been given, free of charge. All I need to do is allow the Peace into my heart, and all of God's promises are part of the realities to come my way. His time of favour is here.