Lesson from a Christmas Carol

If I told you God used a Christmas carol to reinforce something He’s been teaching me, you wouldn’t be too surprised. We have so many beautiful songs of the season, rich in faith and Christian heritage.

Which song do you think He used?

Silent Night?

O Come, All Ye Faithful?

Joy to the World?

Christmas tree

(I added the photo so you wouldn’t see my answer before you made your guess.)

Actually, it was Jolly Old St. Nicholas. A song I don’t even particularly like, which reminds me to be alert for God’s voice anywhere…

I’ve heard variations on the lyrics, but the version most familiar to me has the line “As for me, my little brain isn’t very bright; choose for me, dear Santa Claus, what you think is right.”

Wikipedia says the traditional lyrics are “As for me, I hardly know so I’ll go to rest; choose for me, dear Santa Claus, what you think is best.” [Wikipedia: Jolly Old Saint Nicholas]

Our brains are bright enough, but compared to God’s greater wisdom it’s clear we don’t have the whole picture. Yet how often do we come to Him in prayer, pleading for a specific response? We’re convinced we know best, but hindsight may prove otherwise.

There are times the Holy Spirit leads us in detailed prayer. Many times, though, we’re wisest to bring the issue to the Lord with a simple prayer of “As for me, I hardly know… give my spirit rest; choose for me, dear God of all, what You know is best.”

 

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