As we enter this Christmas week, some of us may not feel “merry” as the song directs us to be. However, the merriment of “Mary” provides a model of how to achieve this goal.
Can you imagine what a young girl might have felt and thought when an angel appeared to her and told her she had found favor with God, would conceive of the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of God? The questions that must have sped through her mind. How can this be? Why me? How will this actually happen? Will anyone believe this story?
Interestingly, Scripture doesn’t record a series of questions that Mary had to understand in order to cooperate with God. Instead, she says, ” Let is be according to your Word.” Mary was calm, received a Word, faithfully replied, trusted God and then worshipped. Do we do the same when we face the unknown?
Again, this year, there are so many questions. So many unknowns. When will the pandemic end? Now, what happens with Omicron? Will people take the vaccines? How will my life be affected by inflation? What will happen next? Will I financially survive and have a job? Is our response to these uncertainties like Mary’s? Do we believe what God has told us in His Word and trust him for today and tomorrow? And regardless of what we do not understand, do we worship Him?
Mary is know for many things. She is perhaps the most unique person in history. No one else in the world conceived of the Spirit and gave birth to the Son of God. Yet, when this life changing event was announced, she accepted it with humility and trust. She didn’t know how any of it would turn out. In fact, we might retitle the famous song, Mary Did You Know? To Mary, You Didn’t Know Much! Still, she believed and trusted. What an incredible sign of faith. I am challenged by her response to great uncertainty.
This Christmas, let’s be more like Mary. Let’s face the many questions we don’t have answers to like she did-with calm, trust and praise. And just like Mary, the psalmist records a similar type of simple faith in Psalm 131. After years of turmoil and inner naggings, David finally experiences peace. He no longer has to have answers to things and realizes He may never understand the complexities of life. He has quieted his heart and has stopped trying to figure everything out. In verse 2, he tells us he has calmed and quieted his soul. Why” Because his hope is in the Lord, not his might and power as king.
This Christmas, our future is unknown. There is much we don’t understand. Yet God sits on the throne and has it all under His control. Our job is to trust Him. Instead of worrying about all our unanswered questions, return to the faith of Mary. She did pondered many things in her heart, but trusted God to take care of her. Her childlike faith is a model for us during troubled times. Mary reminds us of this.
As we face another year of a pandemic Christmas, rest in His care, knowing He holds tomorrow. God has all the answers. Humble yourself to trust Him. Do not depend on your own understanding. When the angel appeared to Mary, she took a leap of faith with all of its uncertainties. Then, in the quiet of a silent night, all was calm, all was bright. The sent One had come! The journey of uncertainty began. Mary would need to continue to trust and believe. And because she did, our Savior was born! What incredible things does God have in store for you?
