The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 29 December 2025 – Be Comforted!
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TOPIC: Be Comforted!
READ: Matthew 2:13-18 (NKJV)
- Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
- When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
- and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
- Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.
- Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
- “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping [for] her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”
THE MESSAGE:
The slaughter of all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem and its environs by Herod the Great, in his effort to destroy the Christ Child (Matthew 2:16), is often commemorated as The Holy Innocents’ Day. The children are innocent because they had done no wrong to warrant their deaths. In the midst of the rejoicing that a Savior had been born (Luke 2:10-11), Matthew pauses to mark the heartbroken grief of the mothers who had lost their children as a result of Herod’s jealousy (Matthew 2:13-18). Though Baby Jesus escaped the killings, which is good, the other babies paid the price of an evil man in a position of power.
Just as it was a time of rejoicing when Jesus was born as well as a period of mourning because of the innocent young souls murdered, so too we have mixed feelings when we celebrate Christmas today. While some have joyful time with Church and family, others have painful times full of loneliness and sorrow. When we face great pain, we need others to lament with us and mark those anniversaries. As the jollity of Christmas continues, let’s pause like Matthew to remember those who face great pain and loss, whether that loss was yesterday or decades ago which becomes fresh in their memories every Christmas because it occurred during this season in time past. If that’s you, know that God knows your grief; be comforted.
PRAYER: Pray with Jeremiah 31:13b: “For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.”
