He Is God. You Don’t Have to Be.

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 1:39-56 ESV

39 In those days Mary arose and went

with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,

the baby leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And why is this granted to me

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,

the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be

a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

55 as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about

three months and returned to her home.

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Know that God loves you in the details.

Where does Mary go?

Why does she go there?

This is an extremely encouraging passage of Scripture.

It highlights God’s love and compassion for Mary.

When the angel Gabriel comes to

Mary to tell her that she is going to bear God’s

Son through the power of the Holy Spirit …

very overwhelming news …

we see how God has gone before her

and thought of every detail. He considered her human

condition and her human needs.

He arranged for Elizabeth to be with child

at the same time that Mary would.

She would see one who had been barren for a

lifetime pregnant with child and be affirmed that

she had in fact heard the message correctly.

Mary would also be with a relative who could

share with her in this rare circumstance.

God’s tender lovingkindness provided for her

to not be completely alone.

Her Lord goes one step further to affirm and encourage.

What does Luke record? Elizabeth’s exclaims:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is

the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,

the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:42-44).

TAKING GOD’S WORD TO HEART

We know that God takes care of all of Mary’s needs.

He speaks to Joseph to validate that Mary is in fact carrying the Son of the Most High.

Mary didn’t know all of these things at the moment

Gabriel spoke to her. But Mary says:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;

let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

God Almighty is your Father.

He loves you.

You are His!

In every situation no matter how complex,

confusing, challenging, or catastrophic,

you can KNOW that He has gone before you

and covered every detail in every way.

He has made provision for the things that are needed.

He has even provided, not just for neccesseties but also

for things that are loving and caring.

He is always faithful, always compassionate, always loving.

You may be in a situation in which you cannot see how it could possibly work out for good.

It may appear that you or someone you love is going to be utterly destroyed

or devastated by the circumstances.

Know this…

He loves you tenderly.

He has made provision for things that you

would never even think of and

He has done it with a heart of love.

So next time it seems as though the world is crashing in,

or things are going to fall apart,

or the future is hopeless…

Know how much your heavenly Father loves you.

Know that He knows you and has made provision for you.

Know that He is in control, not only of the details, but

the entire universe…

He is God.

You don’t have to be.

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE

Write out the following passage from Luke 1 and recite it 3 times.

Take it with you throughout the day.

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

PRAYER

Father God,

I praise you because you are in control

and you have provided such kind things for me

in the midst of such uncertain circumstances.

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In His hands for His glory,

Laurie