Skip to main content

Lent Day 28


Scripture Reading

Luke 1:26-33


Can you for one second imagine yourself in Mary's sandals? You are a young teenage girl, probably around the age of 15 and you find out that you are pregnant. If that's not terrifying enough you know you are still a virgin, and the child you are carrying is the son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of his people. What would be going through your mind? Fear, nervousness, anxiety, maybe a little joy and happiness, these are all emotions you might experience. 


The words that the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, carry the weight of the world with them. The hope and future of humanity's relationship with God rest on these words. We often only think about this encounter that Mary had with Gabriel at Christmas time, but they are verses that we need to read throughout the year because they hold the hope of the world in them. 


These verses are the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies. How wonderful it is to know that a young teenage girl was not afraid to face her fiance or the world because she knew the truth about what God was doing in and through her. My prayer for you today is that the example of Mary will strengthen and encourage you to be committed to God even in the most difficult of circumstances. 


Prayer: Lord God, I confess my tendency to doubt you and my reluctance to be obedient during the difficult times in my life. I ask that you would use the example of Mary as she learns about being the mother of Jesus to strengthen me during trials. Help me to cling to your promises as Mary did. I want to be obedient and faithful to the calling that you have placed on my life. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grieving With Hope

This past week has brought a sense of heaviness in my heart. My oldest child graduated from high school. She has achieved all that I could have possibly dreamed she would up to this point in life. To say I'm proud is an understatement. Completion of high school also means that life in our family is shifting. It won't quite be the same because she will experience a new season of life that will bring fresh experiences and countless life lessons. As I've talked to Cyd the last few days we both agree we feel a sense of sadness while simultaneously finding our hearts filled with hope for what is to come for our graduate.  Truthfully, the heaviness I feel is linked to other factors. For starters, this week marks 11 years since my Dad died from pancreatic cancer. I'm not a big death anniversary kind of person, but reaching a milestone with a child makes you miss a parent even more. The interesting thing about grief is that for most people, not a day goes by that you don't ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lent Day 25

                                                                                         Scripture Reading      Ezekiel 34:1-24 Ezekiel was a prophet who lived during the time when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians and thousands of Israelites were taken back to Babylon to live in exile as refugees. In addition to the Jews who had been taken into captivity, other Jews had been scattered throughout the Middle East.  This passage is both a critique of the leaders of Israel for their selfishness and poor leadership of the people of God, and a message of hope in the coming restoration of the people of God. The hope of this passage is that God will place a shepherd over them like David (vs.23). This does...
Post a Comment
Read more

Small Town Funerals

Over the last few days Bulloch county has laid to rest some incredible people. While I didn't get a chance to attend all the funerals, I had the privilege to attend one and officiate at another one. As I reflected on those events yesterday evening, it struck me the way people of faith handle funerals in a small town. Death brings with it all sorts of emotions which means that funerals and memorial services are a mixture of tears and sadness and joy and celebration. You will see and hear the flood of tears that grief brings and the laughter and joy that our hope in the resurrection brings all within a span of minutes if not seconds. We hear warnings of not trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior, while hearing shouts of "amen" and "hallelujah" at moments of affirmation for our lives and faith.  I've never lived anywhere but the south, so I can't speak with authority on how other regions of the country handle these type of events, but most of these occasions ...
Post a Comment
Read more