And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and
my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has
regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
for behold, henceforth all generations will call me
blessed. For He who is mighty has done great
things for me, and holy is His name.’”
—LUKE 1:46–49
It’s hard not to be intrigued and impressed by Mary. She was
just a teenager, some estimates say between 13 and 16 years
old, when an angel appeared to her. I can just imagine how a
teen today would have reacted if an angel of the Lord showed
up in their room. My guess is that the immediate response
would be fear, screams, or crying. The overwhelming nature of
the experience would be enough to cause sheer panic.
When the angel appeared with a joyful message—“Rejoice, highly
favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
(Luke 1:28)—the Bible says that Mary was “troubled” (v. 29).
The angel even encouraged her with “Do not be afraid” (v. 30).
You would expect Mary to struggle with this life-changing
revelation that she would bear the very Son of God. After all,
things seemed to be going okay. She was engaged to a man
named Joseph, but now she would be the gossip of the town.
A scandal like an unwed pregnancy would not go unnoticed,
and answering the critics by saying that an angel visited her
would likely cause more questions than answers.
But Mary was clearly no normal teenager!
After her initial response, Mary embraces her calling as the
earthly mother of Jesus. In what is called “The Song of Mary”
(Luke 1:46–55), we see a young woman who considers herself
blessed, who rejoices!
Of course, the story doesn’t end there, and things don’t get any
easier. Mary, at the end of her pregnancy, must endure the trip
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, at the end of which she delivers
the Christ child in a stable.
Was she bitter? Did she shout at God, “You did this to me,
and now you can’t even give me a decent place to give birth?
Not even one room?”
No, as she held her child, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace,
Emmanuel, she pondered all that had taken place, treasuring
it in her heart.As you enter this Advent season, maybe this year hasn’t gone
how you planned. Maybe you expected your life to be much
different than it is. Perhaps you’re even mad at God and blame
Him for your circumstances.
If so, it’s okay to be troubled, but I invite you to do as Mary
did, and rejoice in the midst of your pain. Lay it all at the feet
of the One who came to save you, whose birth we celebrate.
Despite the struggles, Mary considered herself blessed because
of what God did for her, and you can too as you ponder how
He has blessed you.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and for
the hope that He gives us. Even when our lives take difficult or
unexpected turns, we can still find our joy and peace in You.
In Jesus’ Name, amen.
From a 5 week devotional on Advent
Written by Will Graham
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association