Empty Mangers
"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an
ox comes an abundant harvest." Proverbs 14:4
When Jesus came into this world, He chose to be born in a most unusual
place-a manger. It was no more than a livery stable with goats, oxen, and
other livestock animals. There is a distinctive characteristic about a place
like this. It is filled with odors and dung from the animals. God seems to
work best among the unpleasantness of circumstances. In fact, "where there
are no oxen, the manger is empty."
What is this really saying? I believe it is saying that in order for Jesus
to be present, we must invite those things that bring with them "messes to
clean up." God works among the messy things in our lives. And from these
messes come an abundant harvest. This is what He did with all His highly
used servants in the Bible. God is filled with paradoxes. Why can't life be
seamless and smooth? Because God likes to show Himself in the midst of the
messes of life. This is what brings us into the harvests. So often the
bigger the mess, the bigger the harvest.
When a major road-construction project takes place in a crowded city street,
it appears to be absolute chaos. It is inconvenient, slow-moving and tends
to get us irritated because it appears we are moving much slower than we
would like. It is ugly, and so much of what we see is torn up. But when we
look at that same area a few months or years later, we see why the
construction was necessary. There was meaning to the mess. It actually made
life so much better for those who would use the road.
It has been through the messiest of times in my business and personal life
that God has revealed His power and strength in my life. It was when these
"oxen" of hardship have walked into my manger that the greatest harvest was
manifest. However, when I have sought to remove the "oxen" and rid myself of
the odor and the mess, I have fought the ultimate work of God. God works in
mangers.
Os Hillman
TGIF Today God Is First, Copyright 2002