A WORD FOR TODAY, July 2, 2024
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, July 2, 2024
“Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She called out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy! Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!’” Luke 1:40-45, WEB
God promised to send a deliverer to save His people. Over time they had been scattered and many lived away from Jerusalem; they had been conquered by many enemies and taken far away. By the time Jesus was born, the Israelites were living under the thumb of the Romans who had established puppet rulers in Israel. These were local people who had been trained by the Romans to rule for Rome’s best interest. They were incentivized to make Rome’s interests their own, and did the bidding of their masters even when it went against God’s intention for His people. The tax collectors were cheating the people. The rulers were basking in wealth while the people starved. The priests put heavy burdens on the people. The common men were poor and frustrated. They cried out to God, “Save us!” When the time was right, God answered their prayers.
Sometime around the year 4 BC, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young woman named Mary who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, a carpenter in the small town of Nazareth. Mary was probably no more than fifteen years old. The angel came with an incredible message, saying: “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’” (Luke 1:30b-31) Upon hearing the news of her miraculous pregnancy, Mary went to visit her older cousin Elizabeth, who the angel had told her was also with child (Luke 1:36). Greeted with joy, Mary burst into poetic praise. This was certainly a promise. But would it be a blessing? Only time would tell.
Mary was a young girl living in a very strict society facing this incredible blessing from God. When she was found to be pregnant, her fiancée wanted to cancel the marriage. The community would look down on her as a fallen woman, even as a prostitute. They were praying for the Messiah, but they did not believe her story. The news from the angel was not good news. Yet, Mary did not complain. In Luke 1:38 she answered, “I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said.”
Today is the day we remember the Visitation. This was an important moment in the life of Mary. Can you imagine being a fifteen-year-old girl, betrothed to a man, suddenly pregnant in an unbelievable way? Joseph, her betrothed, wanted to divorce her quietly, not to embarrass her, but to let her go. Mary must have doubted everything she experienced. She must have doubted whether she should continue to carry the child. We don’t often think about it, but abortion was an option for those who lived in ancient history. We have doctors and pills, but they had herbs that could stop a pregnancy. Despite her faith, Mary may have wondered what she should do.
God knew. He knows all our thoughts. The angel told Mary about her cousin Elizabeth for a reason: to give her confirmation that what had happened to her was real and was according to His good and perfect will. If God can make a barren elderly woman pregnant, He can certainly give her a child that would change the world. God can do the hard things; God does the hard things. By sending Mary to spend time with Elizabeth, God gave her the courage to continue with an impossible pregnancy even with the cruel response from her community. It was not until that moment when Elizabeth confirmed that Mary’s baby was a gift from God that Mary could praise Him with the Magnificat and continue on this frightening, strange, unbelievable, but incredibly beautiful journey He’d begun in her life.
Do you ever wonder about whether you are doing the right thing? Do you wonder if God is really calling you to do something? God knows. He knows all our thoughts. He will give you confirmation through other people. It might not be in such miraculous ways but listen when someone encourages you in what you believe God has called you to do. You’ll get lots of naysayers, too, people who will discourage, ridicule, or attack because it doesn’t make sense. They won’t see God’s grace in the opportunity; they won’t accept is as a gift. But God has a way of giving us the courage to face the struggle for His glory. Then, when you know without a shadow of a doubt, praise Him with all your heart, trusting in Him to get you through.
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