Lessons of Faith
Going back to Luke 1:5-56, we can learn many lessons from Mary on how to respond in FAITH to God’s promises for us.
FIRST, WE CAN PONDER, YET STILL BELIEVE. We can ask “how” but not “whether” He will do what He has promised. There are many times that we do not understand what God is doing in our lives. Mary did not completely understand what would happen to her, but she knew God and so she trusted Him. Have you ever had the experience of going through a difficult time and not understanding why, only to find out after it was finished that God has taught you some deeper spiritual truth that you could not have learned otherwise? This is where trust in God comes in. We trust that He loves us and that He knows what He is doing in our lives. It’s not often that we have an angel talking to us, but we do have the promises in His Word and we can trust that He will fulfill His promises to us. Numbers 23:19 New International Version reminds us that God does fulfill His promises:
God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does He speak and then not act?
Does He promise and not fulfill?
SECOND, WE CAN PLACE THE DETAILS IN HIS HANDS AND STILL BELIEVE. Mary was not actually given many details. To her question of “how”, the angel responded, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,” Ok, we like details, and this explanation did not give many! What we do know is that Mary trusted God. In response to the limited details, she offered herself up for His purposes, saying, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord,”; this was despite what these new circumstances could do to ruin her upcoming marriage, ruin her reputation, or perhaps cause her death (the punishment for fornication in that day was stoning to death).
THIRD, WE CAN PURPOSE TO KEEP BELIEVING DESPITE DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. Mary said, “be it done to me according to your word.” I am sure when Mary was traveling the grueling approximately 4 day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem while great with child, she may not have found it easy to trust His promise. Or when her husband was desperately looking for a place for her to labor and all he could find was a stable, she may have been wondering about God’s plan. Yet, what better place for the Lamb of God to be born, than in a stable? What looked like a mistake was actually an important part of God’s plan all along.
When your circumstances are not the greatest, resist the temptation to turn your back on your faith. Instead, keep trusting that though you cannot see or understand or make sense of what is happening, God is in control. Stand on the promises He has given you in His Word, and ground your hopes on those promises.
FOURTH, WE CAN PURSUE FELLOWSHIP AND BELIEVE TOGETHER. After hearing that her cousin Elizabeth was experiencing her own miracle, Mary chose to visit Elizabeth and received encouragement to stand in faith for her own promise from God. Mary could see Elizabeth’s promise coming to pass, as Elizabeth’s belly grew bigger and bigger, and this gave Mary faith to stand firm for her own promise.
Be careful! Like Job, we do not want to be around people who are going to tear our faith down. We want to be around those who are going to build us up, point us back to the Word (Bible), and encourage us to stand strong in our faith. We are encouraged in 1 Peter 5:9 that there are believers who have faced the same trials as we have but have already had the victory in those trials.
FIFTH, WE CAN PRAISE AND MAGNIFY GOD FOR THE PROMISES HE HAS GIVEN. Mary began to praise God at Elizabeth’s house. Even though she had not yet received the promise from God, but it was literally just a seed inside her, Mary began to praise God for the promise she had not yet received from Him (Luke 1:45). That is FAITH!
Praise is not always easy! Sometimes when things are not going well, praise is a sacrifice. In Habakkuk Chapter 3: 17-19 New American Standard Bible things are not going well, yet Habakkuk still chose to praise God despite his circumstances:
Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.
So let’s be like Mary, and
LET’S CHOOSE TO HAVE FAITH IN HIS PROMISES AND NOT WAIVER,
In His Love,
Suzanne
Mom Morsels 