Thursday, December 1, 2011

Mary Believed

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”

-- Luke 1:30-31

God chose a 13-year-old girl from Nazareth to give birth to His Son. Why Mary? Have you ever considered how God came to choose this young girl to give birth to the Messiah? Did God choose her before she was born? Did Mary really have a choice when Gabriel came to her and told her what was to happen?

How would you have reacted to such a proclamation from an angel of God? Most of us would have doubted and made excuses. That’s if we’d even heard his voice over the din of our own busy lives. How many times has God called us to do something and we either couldn’t hear or were just “too busy” to be bothered?

No one expected Mary to be called by God for this task. This young girl lived in Nazareth of all places. Adam Hamilton, in his book The Journey, Walking the Road to Bethlehem, notes that Nazareth was a tiny town with perhaps as few as 100 people up to 400 people. It was about three miles from a large city called Sepphoris.

Nazareth was, at best, the home of the working class people. The other side of the tracks. The bad section that we avoid. God didn’t go to the affluent areas of Sepphoris to find a mother for His Son. Perhaps that should give us pause when we look at the differences between those who have worldly wealth and those who do not.

I am always amazed that Mary did not doubt. She believed. And she agreed. Remember the time when she lived. Mary was engaged but not yet married. A pregnancy would mean Joseph would abandon her, she would be ostracized and ridiculed. She could be stoned to death for getting pregnant out of wedlock. Her response?

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. -- Luke 1:38

Okay. Let’s review this: Mary believed and didn’t doubt and she went along immediately with what God had called her to do. Does that sound like something you would do? Me either. I’m a person always full of questions and insecurities, wavering between doubt and belief. That seems sort of ridiculous in light of what Mary faced and her reaction to it.

So why did God choose Mary? Only He knows but perhaps it had something to do with her faith and her heart. God knows what we’re willing to do for Him. He knows our hearts. Sometimes the answer to “why” is just as simple as that.

　

Friday, February 4, 2011

Believe God

"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." -- Romans 4:20-21

I want to have faith like Abraham. I want to believe God in all things. I want to trust that He not only can do the impossible but that He will. I get so angry at myself when I doubt. I know better. How about you?

God told Abraham that he would become the father of many nations. Abraham didn't focus on his advancing age or that his wife was well beyond childbearing years. He didn't see all the obstacles. He just believed God. And you know what? God did just what He said He would do.

Beth Moore wrote a Bible study a few years ago titled "Believing God." Awesome study. What do I remember most about it? "I'm believing God." It was the last phrase of  a bit she taught us to help us remember who God is and who we are in Him. It's a constant reminder to me that all those promises in the Bible are intended for me too. How awesome is that!

That's the problem most of us have. We believe God. We really do. And we trust Him. Totally. So long as it involves someone else. Is it that we don't think we're worthy of His love and help, forgetting that we are His child? Is it because we are like a toddler determined to do the task by ourselves? Pride is a horrible thing, especially when it keeps us from receiving blessings God would gladly give us.

Blind trust is such a difficult thing. We don't always seek the big picture. Actually, we rarely see it. We're so focused on what is right in front of us, of the obstacles we see as insurmountable, that we can't see the possibilities. God can do anything. Just ask Abraham. Believe that you are important enough, valuable enough to Him, that He'll do anything for you. Trust Him. H won't let you down.