December 18 Devotional
“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.
And Mary said:
‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things
for me- holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed
mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his
descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.” Luke 1:45-56
The above passage is Mary’s response to all the miraculous happenings
around her. This teenage, engaged girl was pregnant with the Son of God; her
cousin Elizabeth was expecting her first child at an advanced age, after being barren
for several years; she spoke with an angel; with time, she would come face to face
with the God the Son, Jesus. That is an awful lot for someone, anyone to handle, yet
Mary handled her new circumstances extraordinarily well. Would you? Would I?
Would anyone have handled the same situation with the same grace, dignity,
assurance, and trust that Mary exhibited?
There is no answer for this because God gives each of us the grace to handle
our own circumstances that is as individual to the situation and the person as a
snowflake. Being people, not one person is exactly the same; therefore, we do not
all react the same way in the same situations. Let us explore Mary’s circumstances
to understand just how she could say with absolute assurance that God was with
her.
First and foremost, Mary was at most sixteen years old; true, in those days,
you were considered an adult, but people are still people. Next, she was unwed;
now, many people today might not bat an eye at that statement; however, in Mary’s
day, she easily could have been stoned to death for being pregnant without being
married. As a matter of fact, there are areas of the world where this can still happen.
She had spoken with an angel and been told unbelievable things. I imagine that as
she told people, the neighbors started wagging their tongues, calling her all sorts of
names, and crazy was being nice. Continuing on, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth,
which, by the way, was a wise choice for neither Elizabeth nor Zechariah thought
she was insane. Angels visited them, and miracles were occurring for them as well.
That basically brings us to this point in Mary’s life.
When the angel appeared to Mary, she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it
be to me as you have said.” Luke 1:38 She did not rejoice, but she did accept the job.
She knew that God was with her, and God would see Mary through every difficulty.
Now, it was probably a month or two after the angel’s visit that Mary went to see
her cousin. During that time, gossip had been doing its work; Joseph was not very
happy, at least until an angel had a chat with him. Her good reputation was gone.
Her standing in the community was also gone. Mary’s family’s name was being
dragged through the mud. The pregnancy itself was not easy, for Mary’s body was
adjusting to the changes that were needed for a developing child. She must have
been tired, nauseous, unsure of herself, weepy, and more because of the enormous
amount of stress that she was under. The highlight of the whole situation must have
been Joseph’s decision to stand by her and marry her; at least, many must have
thought that was the highlight for her.
In spite of this, Mary was optimistic. She knew that God would see her
through, and she understood the triumph that God was bringing to pass. Yes, Mary
understood that the road would not be easy, but she also knew that God would not
abandon her. God was seeing her through, just as he did for Elizabeth, Zechariah,
and Joseph. It was because Mary was assured of God’s love and care that she could
say with absolute certainty, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God
my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. “ No matter
how bleak life looked, no matter what people said, no matter how she felt, Mary
knew that God was with her. He was caring for her, and He had her best interests at
heart.
I imagine that visiting Elizabeth did Mary a lot of good, for Elizabeth was
there to encourage and sustain Mary. God knew what Mary needed in advance, and
He made certain that she had everything that she could possibly need. Additionally,
God saw Mary’s heart, and He knew that Mary had a servant’s heart. She had a
heart that was willing to do whatever it took to do God’s will. She had the strength
of character to outlast the vicious gossip and rumors; the gumption to dig in through
the difficult times, the love to raise a child, the selflessness to give her all, the faith
and trust to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that God would come through for
her.
Are you going through a difficult time? Are you unsure that God is there?
Are you wondering why life is always so hard? Then, allow me to introduce you to
God the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, the Counselor. He is there for you,
waiting for you to trust him, to give your burdens over to him, and to say with
absolute assurance, “My soul praises You, for You are with me.” This Advent get to
know the One who holds all things together in His hand, the God who makes all
things possible, and praise Him in the midst of the difficult times as well as the good
times.