I stop there every year at this time.
I never can just lightly pass by it.
It’s the last phrase of Luke 2:7 that says, “There was no room for Him in the inn.”
It gets me every time I read it.
To think the One who framed and formed the world couldn’t even be allowed a cheap hotel room for His birth amazes me. It wasn’t a matter of “no money.” I’m sure Joseph had the money. After all, he was on his way to pay his taxes. It wasn’t a matter of improper planning. Joseph had probably calculated where he intended to be by sunrise the next morning, even if it meant traveling through the night. What he hadn’t planned on was the arrival of a baby on this trip.
It simply came down to the fact that every room was full. Others had taken priority and if Joseph wanted to secure Mary and a soon-to-be-born son, he had to take what was available. In this case, that was a stable in the backyard of Bethlehem’s “Bed & No Breakfast.”
I wonder how different it is today in my heart? In your heart?
Is there room for Him or have other loves taken priority over the King’s presence in your life?
The amount of traffic in our hearts has only increased and the flashing neon sign that reads “No Vacancy” is often too prominently displayed. We found room for our desires and appetites. We found room for our worries and fears. We found room for our worldly pleasures and purposes, but have we found room for Jesus?
Today of all days and this season of all seasons, please don’t relegate Him to the distant and out-of-sight stables of irrelevance. Don’t escort Him to the back of the line to stand behind the jovial and white-bearded fellow dressed in the red suit. Make room for Him.
When He knocks on your door, remember “By Him all things were created, that are in heaven, and in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, and dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17).
Remember, too, He doesn’t demand palaces of marble and ivory. He doesn’t require elaborate accommodations. He simply just wants to be welcomed.
This Christmas, I can hear Him saying, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to Him” (Revelation 3:20).
Have you made room for Him today?
Tim Hill
