Some people say Christmas is the most “magical” time of the year. I’m not really comfortable with that word because of its association with fairy tales, fables, and legends. Christmas — the celebration of Christ’s birth — isn’t fiction. It’s fact.

The better word to describe Christmas is “miraculous,” because the Bible describes several supernatural events that accompanied the arrival of Jesus. Neither science nor common sense can adequately explain a virgin birth, a heavenly host of announcing angels, or a brilliant star moving across the heavens like GPS for the wise men.

Every year during this special season, I am always moved by God’s ability to provide for Joseph, Mary and Jesus — at a time that they were so exposed and vulnerable. But I am especially touched because I know what it means to be on the receiving end of God’s supernatural care. Nineteen years ago, God worked a real-life “Christmas miracle” for my family that I will never forget.

It was December 1998 and just two weeks from Christmas. My wife, Heather, and I were only a few months removed from our college graduation at Baptist Bible College in Pennsylvania. We were not your typical college couple. We finished our schooling as married students and by the time graduation arrived, we had a two-year-old son and another one due within days.

Not long after graduation, we made the difficult decision to move back to my hometown of Westminster, Maryland. I took a new job working for my father’s heating and air-conditioning company while trying to land a full-time ministry position. But we soon discovered we had severely underestimated the cost of living. So in addition to my day job as an HVAC mechanic, I took an evening job at a local clothing store to make ends meet. I even managed to squeeze in a third job as a substitute teacher. All of our bills were paid, but we were surviving on a shoestring budget.

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As the clock ticked down to Christmas, Heather and I talked about the holidays. We were both burned out and ready for some refreshment. Heather was especially weary from being a stay-at-home-mom with two children under age two. It had been months since we had seen her family, so she pleaded, “Could we go home to Oil City this year?”  

We crunched the numbers, and it wasn’t good news. To get to Oil City, Pennsylvania, and back, it would cost us $60 in gasoline and tolls. Sadly, this was money we just didn’t have. We both went to bed that night extremely discouraged.

The next morning, I was in a cold basement banging duct work. My partner was jamming his radio to Baltimore’s 98 Rock, but I wasn’t listening. I was praying. I talked to the Lord honestly about my discouragement and my wife’s homesickness. I confessed that I was mentally stressed out and financially tapped out. I knew we didn’t have the money, but I prayed anyway.

In desperation I said, “Lord, if it is Your will that we go home to Heather’s for Christmas, would You please find a way to make that happen?” It wasn’t a long prayer, but it was sincere — and when my lips sounded the quiet, “Amen,” I went back to work.

With great enthusiasm, my wife sliced the envelope and opened the card. What was inside? Sixty dollars. 

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Little did I know that God was working, too.

At lunchtime, my cellphone rang, and it was Heather. She was so excited she could barely speak. “You’re never going to believe what just happened,” she said. “Pastor came to our front door and dropped off a Christmas card from the church. He wanted us to know how much they appreciate the ministry we’re doing on the weekends.” With great enthusiasm, she sliced the envelope and opened the card. What was inside? Sixty dollars — the exact amount we had talked about the night before.

In that moment, I almost dropped the phone on the concrete floor. Was this really happening? Over the next few minutes, we exchanged stories about how the pastor had arrived unannounced — and how I had been seeking the Lord’s help in that frigid basement. Pretty soon we were both choking back tears, and feeling the most incredible sense of wonder and gratitude. God came through for us, and what’s even more amazing — He had set the wheels in motion before we even recognized our need.

Even before I voiced my prayer, He had already moved to accomplish the answer. What an incredible God!

It has been almost 20 years since that amazing Christmas when the Lord reminded us of His presence and power. A lot has certainly changed since then. I’m a senior pastor now; and my two sons were soon joined by four more siblings. Our Christmas gatherings have gotten larger, while our cellphones have gotten smaller.

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But what hasn’t changed is my appreciation for God’s providing power. Again and again, God has shown Himself strong in our lives— not only at special times like Christmas but all year through. Through the power of prayer, our family has experienced the encouraging truth of Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power … to him be glory … forever and ever! Amen.”

So this Christmas, set aside all the talk about Christmas “magic” — and turn your heart toward the mighty God who still does the miraculous.

Pastor Ryan Day is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where he has served for 18 years. He is a regular contributor to LifeZette.