‘Til He Appeared And The Soul Felt Its Worth (From “O Holy Night”)

Bola Sowoolu

London, England

Scripture Reading:

Luke 4:16

John 1:14

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 4:16

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah),
Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy),
to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].”

Then He rolled up the scroll [having stopped in the middle of the verse], gave it back to the attendant and sat down [to teach]; and the eyes of all those in the synagogue were [attentively] fixed on Him.  He began speaking to them: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing and in your presence.”

John 1:14 (The Message)

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

Lonely, Isolated, Unseen

In my early teens, as I grew physically, I developed an obvious deformity in my spine. As I grew taller, the deformity became more pronounced, and my curved spine and the right-side bulge of my frame became more noticeable and difficult to hide. I was taken to several doctors where I lived in Nigeria and even spent a week at a state orthopaedic hospital for “investigation,” but after several years of trying, no solution could be found.  

Although my parents did what they could and attempts were made to find a solution to the physical problem, I had no opportunity to share how I was feeling with anyone throughout the many years. There was no one else I had seen with this obvious deformity. Although, I was in a great situation academically and had grown up in a safe and secure family environment, I felt lonely, isolated, unseen, inadequate, hopeless, less than worthy, and consequently developed a very low self-esteem.

As I was in boarding schools until I went to university, I was somewhat in a protected bubble. During my first week at university, however, I felt different and doomed and became desperate. I shed many tears in secret. Thankfully, I grew up believing that God had the power to do anything; and as such, I decided—without letting anyone know—to press into God through prayer and fasting asking Him to provide an opportunity for me to have access to medical treatment either in the U.K. or the U.S.

Answered Prayer

Although I felt unworthy, and no one knew of this prayer and hope of mine, I was truly bowled over knowing that the God of the universe saw and heard me and answered my prayers! God used this answered prayer to win my heart, and a deep desire to serve God with my life developed. I later became a disciple of Jesus in Clemson, South Carolina, in the U.S., where I went for postgraduate studies.

Have you ever felt invisible? Have you ever felt like no one really understands or gets you? Are you in a difficult situation where there are not many who can relate to you? Do you feel unworthy because of some choices you’ve made, or choices other people have made that have affected you? Do you feel economically or emotionally disadvantaged? Have you ever felt isolated?

The God who Sees Me

If you are feeling worthless, like an outcast, unseen, unloved, or insignificant in any way, Jesus came for you. He is El Roi – the God who sees you! He sees you. He understands you. He has compassion on you, and yet He wants to do something in and through your life.

The world tells us that our worth is based entirely on externals – what can be seen. But more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus was born, we are told something very different.

In the U.K. where I live, the royal family is held in high esteem. I, for one, love to see and hear of the places and the people the royal family visits and the excitement it brings to the recipients of their visit. Many years ago, I watched a TV documentary on the visit one of the young royal couples made to an African country. I watched with a smile on my face as they danced with the locals and took photographs. It was a special moment for those who spent time with that royal couple. 

John 1:14 tells us that Jesus became flesh and blood and moved into our neighbourhood. Jesus, the King of Kings – the greatest royal ever — left His glory in heaven and came to be with us. He came not just to shake hands for a photo opportunity or to have a nice dance with us, but He came out of the womb of His creation and was born in the humblest of circumstances in order to be with us, relate to us and do life with us. This should shout aloud to you and me that we, including our souls, have incredible value and worth to God. Jesus came so your soul can feel its worth!

Being Worthy or Having Worth?

Sometimes we can equate being worthy with having worth. We realize we are not worthy; therefore, we believe we don't have worth. This is a lie of Satan that we must reject. The truth of God we must embrace is that the One who sits on the throne says you have value and worth in His eyes.

The encounter between Jesus and the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50 shows us the worth and value Jesus placed on one woman who had become “unworthy” by the life she lived. 

With the coming of Jesus through His birth, our souls should feel, know, acknowledge, and hopefully accept its worth. God sent His son into the world because to Him we are worth the journey, the effort, the risk, the rejection, the suffering of His son. You and I matter to God. To Him, our souls were worth it all!

Questions for Reflection:

1. How much value do you place on your soul? How much care, attention and nurturing do you give to your soul? When you compare the investment you make to your body or achievements, to the investment you make to your soul, which is greater?
2. The same Jesus who has placed a great value and worth on our souls asks us to consider this question in Mark 8:36: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Today I will:

Think of a way you can invest in and nurture your soul this holiday season. Let us make the most of the opportunity the season affords to connect in a greater way with our God, who places such a high value on us! 

About the Author:

Bola Sowoolu was baptised into Christ in February 1985 in Clemson, South Carolina, in the U.S. She has been married to Toks for 33 years and together they have been blessed with an adult daughter and her husband, and an adult son and his new bride, who are all disciples of Jesus; as well as a beautiful 3-year-old granddaughter. Bola, alongside her husband, leads the South East Region of the London Church. As well as reading and being in nature, Bola loves to spend quality time with her family. 

To hear a special version of "O Holy Night" performed by your sister Amy Kinzer, please click the image below: