The Greatest Gift of All

I was walking back from a long meeting at work today, when I saw a bright shining planet in the night sky. As I was feeling awfully drained, and finding it hard to pray anything much while walking, I thought I'd just sing a Christmas song to the Lord.

But what could I sing? "Jingle Bells" sounded a bit too trite, "Silent Night" a bit too solemn, "O Come All Ye Faithful" not really that much about Him in a way...

Then this old song that we had sung back in Dec 2005, during NUS days, came to mind.

He Gave The Greatest Gift Of All
Jon & Jane Sherberg

The winter’s chill crept o’er the stillness of the evening;
The day had past at last the city slept in peace.
An evening star watched from afar and shone so brightly,
As if to say this day would bring a love that would not cease.

In days of old it was foretold a time was coming
When wondrous things would bring a new and glorious day;
When God the Father would now offer life unending,
To those who came to claim the Gift in childlike faith.

Chorus:
He gave the greatest Gift of all when He gave Jesus
He sent the greatest Gift of love wrapped in His Son.
He brought us hope when we had nothing left to hope for
Redemption's story had begun

He gave the greatest Gift of all when He gave Jesus
He sent the greatest Gift of love wrapped in His Son.
He brought us hope when we had nothing left to hope for
At last the long awaited promise,
The Gift the world was waiting for had come.

The sky was gray, the clouds turned daylight into darkness
As if the earth itself were mourning for a Son.
A mother’s heart was torn apart in grief and anguish;
The day she saw so long ago had finally come.

He stood accused, His body bruised, hands pierced and bleeding;
Who once had known the lowly comfort of a stall.
The babe that angels once proclaimed as King and Saviour
Gave up His life to be the greatest Gift of all.

[repeat chorus]
At last the Gift the world was waiting for had come.
He gave the greatest Gift of all!

And as I sang it, I think the Holy Spirit spoke to me through the song. Just felt a very deep burden come upon my heart... and I was wondering, why? Why does this song bring tears to my eyes?

Realised it's because Jesus really, really, really is the Greatest Gift of all... the Greatest Gift of love... but that's not the only thing that made me very burdened. I also began to feel a deep ache for my friends who haven't come to know Jesus yet... they are painfully alone... they haven't personally experienced how beautiful the Greatest Gift of all really is.

I especially felt a very great burden for a particular friend. So I understood why this song is so painfully meaningful to me. I really do want him/her to know my dearest friend, Jesus. He really, really, really is the Greatest Gift of all. A Gift so dear, so precious, so wonderful...

He gave the greatest Gift of all when He gave Jesus
He sent the greatest Gift of love wrapped in His Son.
He brought us hope when we had nothing left to hope for

When God wanted to show us what the greatest love of all really looks like, He gave it to us in the form of his one and only Son. Just thinking about how God so loved us that He dared to give us His one and only Son... it brings tears to my eyes every time I think of it. (And I'm typing this in Bishan J8 McDonalds. What a terrible place to tear.)

Jesus gave me hope when I had nothing left to hope for. And now I really have a living hope, one that can never perish, spoil or fade. Wow...

So now I know why I'm so burdened this Christmas. I really really really want my friends and colleagues to come to know of God's love for them... it's like a fire that won't stop burning in my heart. OMG. It's such a deep pain that I feel, that I want to just find a corner and bawl before God for their salvation.

And I'm so amazed. Because I realised that this kind of burden and compassion can only come from the Father Himself. It's such an awesome feeling to find out that you actually felt just an infinitesimally tiny bit of His vast love, intense burden, agonizing pain, deep compassion and desire for a lost world, a lost race to come back to Him again.

Wow. Thank God so much for the bros and sisters who prepared the prayer and fasting guide. Thank God for His allowing me to taste even a tiny drop of his tears for a world that has gone astray.

So starting from today, I'm praying and fasting too for this particular friend of mine, who's very dear to me too, personally. Really praying for him/her to experience the Father's love this December.

I really really really want him/her to come to know Jesus, the Greatest Gift of All, this very Christmas.