The day had finally come. The Messiah was born in the city of David. All the years of waiting had come to an end. God’s promises were fulfilled, the prophecies were proved true, and the heavenly host celebrated.

Mary’s life was about to be changed and it would also change the world forever. With an answer that echoed through the generations, she accepted God’s plan for her life to conceive and bear a son. This son was not going to be from her betrothed. It would be of the Holy Spirit so that the child would be called holy—the Son of God.

The wait for the messiah was almost over. The birth of John the Baptist was foretold by an angel of the Lord. He would be a forerunner to the promised Messiah, making ready the hearts of men.

Rebuilding after loss is hard whether you have lost a loved one, lost a career, or lost your homeland (like we read in our last two devotionals). There are lessons to learn, choices to make, and a need for a plan. God’s people do just that in Nehemiah—they rebuild with the Word and a new promise.

One of the most difficult times to trust God’s plan is when we see or experience hardship. Habakkuk was struggling with the same thing. He knows that more devastation is coming if Babylon is allowed to take and disperse Israel. In his anguish he poses a question that we hear every time we see tragedy on the news, struggle with illness, or see the wicked go unpunished—why does God allow evil?