Have You Been Wrapped?
Luke 2:7
“And she gave birth to her
Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a
manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn.” Amplified
Bible Version
Our
Heavenly Father speaks in His own time and in His own way. In March of this year (2019) in the dawn of
the morning, He began to speak to me about the “swaddling clothes” that Jesus
was wrapped in at birth. The celebration
of Christmas had long gone. But the
messages of the birth of Christ are unending.
They unveil revelation knowledge anytime, anyplace, and anywhere to the
listening ear.
Swaddling
clothes are narrow strips of cloth In which babies are wrapped. This practice
continues in some countries even until today.
Obviously, this was a custom at the time of the birth of Christ. Swaddling clothes are used for two
purposes. The first is to restrain the
movement of the child. The second reason
for the wrap is to quiet the nervous system of the child.
It
is not by happenstance that our Savior was restricted in the natural at
birth. It foreshadowed the ultimate
truth that He came to earth for a specific purpose. He was bound to fulfill this purpose. His purpose was to die for the redemption of
man back to God the Father. As Jesus
grew in physical statue, He became laser focused on the purpose for which He
came to earth.
Jesus
while here on earth stayed in tune with God the Father and announced that His
sole purpose was to do the will of His Father. In John 5:30 He says, “I
am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as
I am taught by God and as I get His orders].
Even as I hear, I judge [decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a
decision}, and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or
consult My own will [ I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own
aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me”.
Amplified Bible Version
Do you follow in the footsteps
of Jesus and allow yourself to be “wrapped” in His sole purpose for you? Or do you freelance and pick and chose what
you perceive is the will of God for your life?
Sometimes our loving Heavenly Father has to “wrap us in His swaddling
clothes”. This restriction sometimes
shows up in our lives as a severe trial, an illness, the loss of a loved one or
relationship, etc. Yes, Believers we are
sometimes restricted in our self imposed activities that we are so sure are
God’s will for our lives. The word of
God says that there is a way that seems right, but the end of it is death
(Proverbs 14:12).
Are you spiritually
jittery? Do you move from thing to thing
seeking God’s perfect will for your life and circumstance from others
(ministers, prayer partners, etc.)? Are
you in a quandary about a decision needed?
Do you need to know the next thing that you should do? Are you crying out for help while being held
by the eternal Helper? If you answered yes to any of these questions or if you
just want to move closer to Him, you need to be wrapped.
The “swaddling clothes” wrap of
God do not come to destroy us. To the
contrary, they come to heal us of the crushing maladies of a world that is
under the curse of sin and death. How
can we see Him, and hear Him if we are not swaddled down by Him to rest in
Him? He wants us calmed, focused, and
listening to Him for everything. We
sometimes engage too much with people, places, and things to enter into calm,
and stillness. These are the times when
He steps in as Father with circumstances that gently (and sometimes not so
gently) force us to be wrapped in His love, His peace, and His quiet.
There is quiet in your human
spirit. That is where the word of God is
contained. Your spirit is sealed by the
Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Your soul
(mind, will, emotions) must be brought into captivity by you and led by your
spirit. Your body will then follow your
soul and be led into “listening mode” when God the Father speaks.
The baby when wrapped is calm
and rests in the loving arms of the mother or father. The Believer when wrapped by God is
steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (not their own
works).
God’s ultimate goal for your
life is for you to conform to the image of Christ. Christ listened to God and fulfilled God’s
purpose, not His own (John 5:30). We
must listen and fulfill our purpose. But
first we must be “wrapped” to generate maximum focus, calm, and rest (Hebrews
Chapter 4). “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).”
Got a trial? You are being wrapped.
Got a need? You are being wrapped.
Misunderstood? You are being wrapped.
Lonely? You are being wrapped.
Got a tough decision? You are being wrapped.
Have You Been Wrapped?
Post Script
God once gave me a Rhema Word: (“You are good at listening
to Me.”). I endeavor every day to hear
His voice for my life. MDJ
