Since it is the Christmas Season, I wanted to write a blog that was true to where I am at in life right now, but also sharing the joy and hopefulness that this, my favorite season, should bring to us. Then, this week, Kennady was reading through a message I had given in our church a few years ago, and well, it seems fitting to right where so many of us are at right now. Knowing what God has promised, but living in a world where holding on to that promise is getting more and more difficult. So, here is my Christmas blog, a portion of a message written directly from what I felt God was speaking to my own heart, and I want to share it with anyone needing to hold on to the Hope of Christmas!
Whether it be in the area of finances, restored relationships, healing, or any other personal need, all of us have found ourselves in the position of waiting on God, for a promise he has given us that is yet to be delivered. We have all experienced the pain of waiting for what feels like unanswered, and sometimes unheard, prayers. When a promise is fulfilled, it is a beautiful thing, I have been a witness to answered prayers, but I have also been in the waiting process for some of my deepest, most personal desires to be met for a very long time. In the midst of all of this waiting, I have discovered that there is so much we can learn from Mary, who was given a promise greater than any I could imagine, and yet quite possibly one of the toughest to walk through, while waiting for it to come to fruition.
"The Time in Between"
Everyone loves to talk about those times that God gives a promise to us, and we are even more excited to talk about when the promise is delivered, but most prefer to skip over talking about the time in between. There is often such excitement and a great sense of hope when God gives us a word or a promise. There were angels to deliver a promise to Mary and Joseph, and they sang to the shepherds! A star was given to the Wise Men to show the way. For us, we usually receive a word during a time of prayer, or discover a promise in God's word that we are holding on to, and we get excited, tell all of our friends, and even begin to look hopefully around every corner, jumping out of bed the next morning with great expectation!
However, most often, when God gives a prophetic word, or a promise, there is a marked amount of time between the promise and the delivery of that promise. And that period of time is often a difficult journey, quite possibly filled with dark moments, times of doubt, questioning, and wondering if God really ever spoke at all. I think of Moses and the Israelites, leaving Egypt, facing that long journey to the Promised Land, or of Abraham and Sarah and the promise of a child. Of course, there is Mary, not only waiting out her pregnancy, but also for her child to grow and fulfill his role as the Messiah.
So, how do we hold on to the promise through what feels like endless waiting and overwhelming doubt?
Hold Tight to the Promise Giver
We have to believe in what God has spoken to us. Luke 1:45, one of my absolute favorite verses, says "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord, for there shall be a fulfillment of those things." But, while it is important to believe, we have to focus and believe on the one who spoke the word, and not find ourselves worshipping the promise more than the promise giver. We need to both believe IN him, and also believe in what He speaks to our hearts.
Spend Time with God
Think about him, and thank him for all that He has already done, the promises He has already fulfilled. Let's remind ourselves of what God has told us. Luke 2:19 says that Mary quietly pondered these things in her heart. Another version says that she Treasured these things! A promise from God is no small thing, do you take time to ponder what God is doing?
Ask God for Confirmation
Mary went to see Elizabeth, and Luke chapter 1 tells us that the Holy Spirit came upon Elziabeth, and she referred to Mary as the Mother of her Lord. Talk about confirmation that Mary was indeed carrying the Messiah! What a blessing for Mary to have this extra assurance! We, too, can ask God for confirmation of what He has promised.
Celebrate
Even John, still in his mother's womb, leapt when Mary, pregnant with the Savior, entered the room. (Luke 1:41)
Mary rejoiced and praised God for who He was, long before she had any physical proof that this promise was true. Begin now to rejoice and celebrate what is coming! Sing those Christmas songs and enjoy this season, because even if today is hard, there is a tomorrow coming that is wonderful! It is ok, even in the midst of the unknown, even in present pain, to find joy in that hope!
When the waiting gets tough, the tough KEEP waiting, and it will get tough. Often , God uses this period in our lives as a time for spiritual growth. It's not time to sit back and wait for God to move, but to go about our lives UNTIL he moves. We are told to run the race that is before us. God promised Mary that she was to give birth to our Savior. But, her pregnancy and new motherhood was anything but easy. You would think that carrying the Son of God would mean fine foods, the most comfy of beds, servants at your beck and call... but nope! Mary had to deal with most likely horrible slander, confusion, and even hd to travel at the end of her pregnancy, either by foot or riding a super uncomfortable DONKEY, only to give birth in a stable!
And that wasn't the end of her journey. As a brand new mom and wife, just learning the ropes, she then has to flee or her new child would be killed! God expects something from us while we are waiting, we should experience growth in the process. Mary obviously experienced physical growth, but imagine how her faith must have grown as these events took place, how she would have learned to rely on God. Maybe she wondered why he wasn't making it any easeir for her to do this great thing he had called her to do. I know I often wonder why God doesn't make things easier for me. Until I see the strength he is building, the deep faith he is cultivating. What is God wanting from you? What area of your life could you stand to grow spiritually? Are we sometimes wondering why God hasn't shown up for us yet, when really, we haven't shown up yet ourselves?
Mary had to be a willing and open vessel. She had to be willing to be mocked and pointed at, had to sacrifice her idea of what marriage and motherhood would look like for God's bigger picture. What image do you need to let go of so that God can give you the real thing, which will be greater than anything you can dream up?
Remember our promise may look different than we we expected it to
Even Mary, being fully human, just like us, must have had moments of questioning. She was told her son would be the Messiah, yet, from the age of 12 to 30, we hear nothing about Jesus's life. Did Mary ever look at her young son and wonder, "well, when is he going to save the world? Why isn't anything happening yet?'.
Often, it is our job to protect the promise as it develops and grows into the full fulfillment of what God spoke. Mary DID give birth to the Messiah, but he came as a baby. Our promises and dreams often look small at first, but along the journey, we see growth happening and the true intent of GOd's plan taking shape.
Always look to Jesus
I imagine that anytime Mary had questions during her pregnancy, she would touch her growing belly, feel him kick, and ponder on what God had told her. She was looking to Jesus. As she raised her son, and those questions would come as to when, how, would it really happen that He would save the world? All she had to do was look at Jesus. There he was, the SOn born to a virgin. She knew that God had done THAT miracle, so surely he would do the rest of what He promised. She just had to look to Jesus.
When we are in doubt, impatient, scared, struggling to hold on to the promise, we simply need to look to Jesus. Keeping our eyes on him will remind us of who He is,, who we are to him, and it will all be put back in to perspective again. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, Mary still looked at her Son. She didn't stay away in what must have been the most horrible moment possible for a mother, but she looked to Jesus, who was not only her Son, but her Savior. Always, in all things, look to Jesus.
Mary showed total, sold out faith and love for God. And, God fulfilled his every promise to her. . She didn't always know what it was going to look like, but she knew God was taking care of it. And that is what we can hold on to today. We don't always know what it is going to look like, but we can know that if God gave the promise, the He is at work even now fulfilling it.
After all, he already fulfilled the ultimate promise, the gift of a Savior. He is our true Hope of Christmas.
In the Waiting...
Whether it be in the area of finances, restored relationships, healing, or any other personal need, all of us have found ourselves in the position of waiting on God, for a promise he has given us that is yet to be delivered. We have all experienced the pain of waiting for what feels like unanswered, and sometimes unheard, prayers. When a promise is fulfilled, it is a beautiful thing, I have been a witness to answered prayers, but I have also been in the waiting process for some of my deepest, most personal desires to be met for a very long time. In the midst of all of this waiting, I have discovered that there is so much we can learn from Mary, who was given a promise greater than any I could imagine, and yet quite possibly one of the toughest to walk through, while waiting for it to come to fruition.
"The Time in Between"
Everyone loves to talk about those times that God gives a promise to us, and we are even more excited to talk about when the promise is delivered, but most prefer to skip over talking about the time in between. There is often such excitement and a great sense of hope when God gives us a word or a promise. There were angels to deliver a promise to Mary and Joseph, and they sang to the shepherds! A star was given to the Wise Men to show the way. For us, we usually receive a word during a time of prayer, or discover a promise in God's word that we are holding on to, and we get excited, tell all of our friends, and even begin to look hopefully around every corner, jumping out of bed the next morning with great expectation!
However, most often, when God gives a prophetic word, or a promise, there is a marked amount of time between the promise and the delivery of that promise. And that period of time is often a difficult journey, quite possibly filled with dark moments, times of doubt, questioning, and wondering if God really ever spoke at all. I think of Moses and the Israelites, leaving Egypt, facing that long journey to the Promised Land, or of Abraham and Sarah and the promise of a child. Of course, there is Mary, not only waiting out her pregnancy, but also for her child to grow and fulfill his role as the Messiah.
So, how do we hold on to the promise through what feels like endless waiting and overwhelming doubt?
Hold Tight to the Promise Giver
We have to believe in what God has spoken to us. Luke 1:45, one of my absolute favorite verses, says "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord, for there shall be a fulfillment of those things." But, while it is important to believe, we have to focus and believe on the one who spoke the word, and not find ourselves worshipping the promise more than the promise giver. We need to both believe IN him, and also believe in what He speaks to our hearts.
Spend Time with God
Think about him, and thank him for all that He has already done, the promises He has already fulfilled. Let's remind ourselves of what God has told us. Luke 2:19 says that Mary quietly pondered these things in her heart. Another version says that she Treasured these things! A promise from God is no small thing, do you take time to ponder what God is doing?
Ask God for Confirmation
Mary went to see Elizabeth, and Luke chapter 1 tells us that the Holy Spirit came upon Elziabeth, and she referred to Mary as the Mother of her Lord. Talk about confirmation that Mary was indeed carrying the Messiah! What a blessing for Mary to have this extra assurance! We, too, can ask God for confirmation of what He has promised.
Celebrate
Even John, still in his mother's womb, leapt when Mary, pregnant with the Savior, entered the room. (Luke 1:41)
Remember, waiting is an action word
When the waiting gets tough, the tough KEEP waiting, and it will get tough. Often , God uses this period in our lives as a time for spiritual growth. It's not time to sit back and wait for God to move, but to go about our lives UNTIL he moves. We are told to run the race that is before us. God promised Mary that she was to give birth to our Savior. But, her pregnancy and new motherhood was anything but easy. You would think that carrying the Son of God would mean fine foods, the most comfy of beds, servants at your beck and call... but nope! Mary had to deal with most likely horrible slander, confusion, and even hd to travel at the end of her pregnancy, either by foot or riding a super uncomfortable DONKEY, only to give birth in a stable!And that wasn't the end of her journey. As a brand new mom and wife, just learning the ropes, she then has to flee or her new child would be killed! God expects something from us while we are waiting, we should experience growth in the process. Mary obviously experienced physical growth, but imagine how her faith must have grown as these events took place, how she would have learned to rely on God. Maybe she wondered why he wasn't making it any easeir for her to do this great thing he had called her to do. I know I often wonder why God doesn't make things easier for me. Until I see the strength he is building, the deep faith he is cultivating. What is God wanting from you? What area of your life could you stand to grow spiritually? Are we sometimes wondering why God hasn't shown up for us yet, when really, we haven't shown up yet ourselves?
Mary had to be a willing and open vessel. She had to be willing to be mocked and pointed at, had to sacrifice her idea of what marriage and motherhood would look like for God's bigger picture. What image do you need to let go of so that God can give you the real thing, which will be greater than anything you can dream up?
Remember God's got the details
Jesus had to be born exactly where He was, when He was and in the circumstances that He was, in order to fulfill prophecy. It was not a coincidence that there was a census at the time, sending them to Bethlehem. GOd made sure that Joseph was on board with the plan, Mary didn't have to "fix it". And Mary, never having been married or a mom before, had to trust that if God chose her, he must have known what he was doing.
We need to trust God with the details too. He will not show up late. It will feel and look that way, but his timing is perfect. And, He will not be thrown off by the things of this world. He is bigger than all of that, and does not need our help with the ins and outs. We are often the ones messing things up because we try to take it into our own hands. We must, like Mary, say "I am the Lord's servant" and let him take care of those details.
Remember our promise may look different than we we expected it to
The world was expecting a Savior, a MIGHTY king. What they received that first Christmas night was a baby. In a manger. And, only a few actually saw him. Not exactly what people had in mind to come sweeping in from Heaven to save the world.
Even Mary, being fully human, just like us, must have had moments of questioning. She was told her son would be the Messiah, yet, from the age of 12 to 30, we hear nothing about Jesus's life. Did Mary ever look at her young son and wonder, "well, when is he going to save the world? Why isn't anything happening yet?'.
Often, it is our job to protect the promise as it develops and grows into the full fulfillment of what God spoke. Mary DID give birth to the Messiah, but he came as a baby. Our promises and dreams often look small at first, but along the journey, we see growth happening and the true intent of GOd's plan taking shape.
Always look to Jesus
I imagine that anytime Mary had questions during her pregnancy, she would touch her growing belly, feel him kick, and ponder on what God had told her. She was looking to Jesus. As she raised her son, and those questions would come as to when, how, would it really happen that He would save the world? All she had to do was look at Jesus. There he was, the SOn born to a virgin. She knew that God had done THAT miracle, so surely he would do the rest of what He promised. She just had to look to Jesus.
When we are in doubt, impatient, scared, struggling to hold on to the promise, we simply need to look to Jesus. Keeping our eyes on him will remind us of who He is,, who we are to him, and it will all be put back in to perspective again. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, Mary still looked at her Son. She didn't stay away in what must have been the most horrible moment possible for a mother, but she looked to Jesus, who was not only her Son, but her Savior. Always, in all things, look to Jesus.
Mary showed total, sold out faith and love for God. And, God fulfilled his every promise to her. . She didn't always know what it was going to look like, but she knew God was taking care of it. And that is what we can hold on to today. We don't always know what it is going to look like, but we can know that if God gave the promise, the He is at work even now fulfilling it.
After all, he already fulfilled the ultimate promise, the gift of a Savior. He is our true Hope of Christmas.
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