We are living in the “after” of this story.
I have to remind myself of this truth whenever I fall into thinking the story of Mary giving birth to Jesus was a simple one. It was anything but for that time. This wasn’t an episode of Teen Mom unfolding; it was an unforgivable event that could have resulted in extreme shame and death for Mary.
God could have chosen to enter the world in many ways, but he chose a road that meant scandal. He chose a virgin teenage girl, promised to be married to Joseph, to unveil his big plans. And still, no matter the cost, Mary decided to enter the story, choosing faith over fear.
I can think of several instances in my life where I did not step into the same kind of faith as Mary. Instead, I rehearsed a familiar anthem of fear over myself. Fear that God would not show up. Fear that promises would not unfold. Fear that I would take the next step only to trip and fall.
Every day we get a choice: we can glorify God for what He is doing (even when we can’t yet see it), or we can script a story where everything weighs heavy on our shoulders, a story where fear gets to be the main character.
As I’m writing this piece in late September, this is a lesson I’m personally walking through right now. Specifically, I am learning the importance of speaking life over my circumstances instead of death. I read a quote the other day: “Want to know where you’ll be in 5 years? Just look at the things you’re speaking over your life right now.”
Our words hold so much power. The Bible says that the tongue possesses the power to bring life or death. I’ve had to take careful inventory over my life and the things I have the power to speak life over: my marriage, my family, my child, my business, my career, my faith, and my relationships. I can either access faith in all these areas or lean on fear’s shotty armrest.
In your own story, you have the same choice: faith or fear. Trust that God will show up or fear that it’s all up to you.
I love that Mary never questioned her place in the story. She thought it through and asked some hard questions, but her response was, “I am the Lord’s servant, so I will go wherever he leads me.”
I think about how another faith giant from the Bible, Moses, had the exact opposite response to God using him in such a big way.
When God outlined his plans to use Moses, Moses responded, “Who am I that you would use me?” He doubted. He responded out of crippling fear.
But do you know what God said back to his question? Probably not what you’d anticipate.
Not “you are the right one.”
Not “you have it what it takes.”
Not “you’re amazing, Moses. You’ve got this!”
But “I will be with you.”
He did not stroke Moses’ ego or build up his self-esteem. He simply pointed to Himself to remind Moses where he could lean.
Moses didn’t get it, but a teenage girl could see it in black and white. She knew the God who was penning her story and that He was good, that His track record was reliable.
We can walk bravely into today knowing we don’t need to be qualified to enter the story. God walking alongside us is the only qualification we need. His presence in our story is how we will move forward and tackle everything up ahead for us. We don’t need to be afraid of where God is leading us because His promise rings true thousands of years after he spoke it out: I will be with you.
You have a God who picks you out of the crowd for divine purposes. He makes no mistakes. He never gets it wrong. He’s not playing head games with you.
He walks with you. He covers you. He goes before you and follows closely behind you.
You are precious to Him, and He is delighted by your “yes.”
Even if you lived your whole life with a thick film of fear over your eyes, He wouldn’t think to love you any less.
You have a choice to make for today: faith or fear.
How will you respond?
Reading
Luke 1:46-56
Steal This Prayer
Dear God, I know I have a choice in my every response: faith or fear. Help me respond in faith, sing out, and rejoice over what you do in my life. I know you are with me. I know you walk beside me. Embolden my faith with each decision I make and wipe out the fear with your love.
I Love Hearing from You!
In moving my blog to a newer platform, I sadly had to let go of the thousands of comments and conversations that came from readers over the last 10+ years. This grieves me deeply but I know there will new conversations, fresh words of wisdom, and opportunities to create close community once again. I’d love to hear from you in the comments section. I’ll be reading + replying on a regular basis.
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