Luke 1:28-38 NLT
Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.” 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
In the last two years, I've began to ponder on what Mary experienced by saying yes to the call of God. When you consider the weight that her obedience required, you know that her strength comes from God himself. I can only imagine what it must have been like to know that so many people did not believe what she knew to be true: she was carrying the Son of God. It is not a truth everyone accepted, but their doubts did not deter her from walking in obedience. After raising the only perfect man to ever walk to earth, a Man who was kind and the very definition of the word loving, she was faced with the pain of watching Him betrayed by the very people who once praised Him. A pain no parent should ever face. But, the Good News is, it was not in vain. Marys pain was surpassed by true joy, she had a relationship with her Savior, Jesus.
I wrote this spoken word last year and find it fitting to share now:
You’ve heard it said that I accepted the call to carry the Son of Man
That I was blessed because I believed the Lord would do everything He said
But, what you may have forgotten
Is that I also said, Yes to raising my Fathers one and only Son
Yes, to raising the greatest man to every walk the earth
I replied yes to bear the greatest pain any parent could ever face
Yes, to losing my Son in the most brutal way
But, the good news is, it was not in vain
It was done so we could all praise His great name.
So, you ask me did I Know?
I didn’t know it all
However, given the chance I would say yes, a million times, over and over again.
HE is the greatest love I’ve ever known and because I said yes, we can freely enter His throne
Jesus, Jesus
On the lips of every child, in the hearts of every man.
The oceans declares His greatness and the rocks cry out to praise His great name
His holiness is unmatched and even the rocks proclaim His greatness
He is the beginning and the end
And the Savior who bore all shame
So, when you ask me did I know,
I didn’t know it all, but I know when I kiss my sweet child’s face, I kiss the face of God
Let's go into 2020 saying yes to Jesus and what He has for us. When it feels too heavy, remember we do not have to carry it ourselves.
If you have never said yes to Jesus, invite Him in right now, and ask Him to be Lord of your life. He will never turn you away, and He will never let you down.
Much love,
Tori
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