Who is this King of Glory?

"Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?

The LORD Almighty--

he is the King of glory."

Jesus.  His birth is what I celebrate at this time of year.  I scurry around making preparations which often distract me from the purpose for Christmas: A time to joyfully celebrate a God who would send His Son to earth as a lowly human in order to reconcile mankind to Himself, placing His precious Son in the womb of a teenage girl so He could grow into a man who would die on the cross for me and for you.  Jesus.  He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

I invited Jesus in as King of my life, but do I really know Him?  Who is this King of glory?

Strength.  If I had to live the life Jesus lived while He was here on earth, I would have grown weary.  I would have reached a breaking point as I ministered to people who many times couldn't care less about the message I was delivering.  I would have been disgusted by the attitudes of the Pharisees who thought they were so good but couldn't even grasp a simple truth.  I would have grown tired of people always wanting something from me, the constant press of humanity against my flesh would have pushed me over the edge.  "Heal me.  Help me.  Give to me."  Yes, I would have quickly grown weary.

But Jesus has this strength that keeps Him coming.  He doesn't give up, never getting tired.  While His flesh may have felt the effects of keeping up such a fast pace and demanding schedule, His Spirit never grew weary (Isaiah 40:28).  He was always ready to deliver one more person from suffering, to lead one more captive to freedom, to offer one more thirsty soul living water.  And He still is.

Who is Jesus?  He is the One who is strong enough to bear my burdens, propel me forward and empower me to live for Him.

Mighty Warrior.  There is something about a battle between good and evil that draws me in.  Whether this story comes in movie or book form, it doesn't matter.  My heart beats faster when I witness a character standing up to the bad guy, going against the odds in the name of what is right or defeating evil.  

I think I'm drawn into such a narrative because Jesus is this kind of warrior in my life.  I have an enemy who is bent on my destruction, who wants nothing more than to steal my peace, kill my faith and destroy my life (John 10:10).  He lurks around like a prowling lion, looking for ways to trip me up and discourage me (1 Peter 5:8).  I sometimes feel so helpless against his attacks.  

Then I remember my Mighty Warrior who fights on my behalf and has already conquered such evil (John 16:33).  With Jesus at my side, there is no weapon meant to harm me that can succeed, no power working against me that can bring me down, no enemy tactic designed to wreak havoc that will triumph (Isaiah 54:17).

Who is Jesus?  He is my Mighty Warrior who fights my battles, giving me confidence to walk boldly forward despite the battle that swirls around me.

Lord of Hosts.  He is the Lord Almighty.  He is sovereign over all things.  He is the avenger of His people.  When it seems all hope is lost, that this world is going down in flames and there is nothing I can do about it, Jesus is still on the throne and it is in He that I place my hope.

I need not worry that evil is running rampant, unchecked and without consequence.  The Lord of Hosts is at His post and will bring about justice in due time.  When my heart hurts to see the innocent suffering at the hands of the wicked, I can rest easy knowing that the sovereign Lord is biding His time until His fury is unleashed.  My stomach is turned to witness how darkness is being portrayed as light, that which is wrong as if it was right, but the Lord Almighty sees all and will let no injustice go unpunished. 

Who is Jesus?  He is the Lord of Hosts, giving me courage to minister to the suffering, knowing that He will avenge.

Jesus is not just the babe in the manger I see portrayed at this time of year.  He set aside His divinity for a time in order to enter the world He created as an infant, but His true character has so many facets.  I have invited Him into my heart to rule over my life as my strength, my Mighty Warrior, and the Lord of hosts.   Who is this King of glory?  He is Jesus, and His many names say it all!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can never stop seeking to learn more about the King of my life.

When do I make Jesus one-dimensional, minimizing His true character?

Do I know the real Jesus, or am I just familiar with the Jesus portrayed in pop culture?