That Holy Thing,
by George MacDonald

They all were looking for a king, To slay their foes and lift them high;
Thou cam’st, a little baby thing, That made a woman cry.

O Son of Man, to right my lot, Naught but Thy presence can avail;
Yet on the road Thy wheels are not, Nor on the sea Thy sail!

My how or when Thou wilt not heed, But come down Thine own secret stair,
That Thou may’st answer all my need, Yea, every bygone prayer.

It’s funny that we think we know what we need and when we need it. Israel thought they needed power, military, moral striving. Each wrong turn of God’s covenant people has a misdirected striving to make their own name great. So much of what I think I need and when and how I think I need it is wrapped up in the effort to make my own name great. God is coming. He is what I need. Just presence. He is born each day and lives each day, not an expected power, but a power that makes a woman cry; a power of a baby. Not power of a navy or artillery, but power that I don’t even know that I need. He comes in a way no one expects to fill what we really need.

Stefan Seeling, student ministries director