Trusting God with Those I Love

In a culture where the first born had special rights and privileges, Jesus was no exception. At 8 days old, he was taken to the temple to be consecrated to the Lord. The act of consecration separates something from a common and profane use to a sacred use or, when it comes to a person, the person is dedicated to the service and worship of God. In Exodus 13:2, God told the Israelites that every firstborn of their people and their animals belonged to him. They were to redeem them with the offering of sacrifices. This was in commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. The last of the plagues on the Egyptians was the angel of death killing all the firstborn in Egypt except those who had painted the blood of a lamb on their doorposts in which case the angel passed over. God had saved their firstborn and they were to consecrate them to him as part of the remembering what God had done for them.

Here, thousands of years later, Mary and Joseph continued the practice of consecrating their firstborn. This was a special day and God had two special people waiting at the temple: Simeon and Anna.

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’” Luke 2:25-32 Here is another moment that could have gone by unrecognized, but I think God was so excited about what he was doing – working out his plan of salvation – that he had to make sure it wasn’t missed even in the common and ordinary events. He wanted others to know the time had come and prophecies were being fulfilled.

Simeon had lived his life pleasing God and now God was blessing Simeon in a special way. He let Simeon know before he died that the Christ had come to the world, just as promised. Not only that, but he let Simeon hold Jesus in his arms. And Simeon confirmed for Mary and Joseph that they were indeed privileged and entrusted with the responsibility of caring for the Christ. But he also spoke a prophecy directly to Mary: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul to.” Luke 2:34-35 I don’t know what Mary thought about this, but it would have been frightening to me – cause for a lot of anxiety. Mary must have pondered these words a lot through the years of raising Jesus. But I think God knew just what he was doing in choosing Mary. She trusted him. She did just what God needed her to do – gave Jesus a loving home and trusted God to care for his Son.

Then there was the widow Anna. She had lost her husband very early in life and had spent her life in the temple fasting and praying. God noticed and he also gave Anna a special moment with Jesus. “Coming up to them in that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:38 Mary and Joseph had not one, but two confirmations that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, within days of his birth.

Sometimes, because we know the sequence of events regarding Jesus life and ministry, we take for granted what Mary and Joseph lived with. They had a special son whose Father was actually God. They had seen angels and had confirmations from shepherds, a prophet, and a prophetess, and they had the prophecies in the Scriptures. I’ll take a guess here that they suddenly became very interested in the prophecies and studied them carefully. But still, they did not know how everything was going to play out. It took a tremendous amount of trust in God for them to get through those years. Most of us would have needed a lot of psychological counseling. But Mary trusted. She simply trusted from the time Gabriel came to talk to her through her entire life.

My three worst fears are that I will lose my spouse, my children, and my parents. I know that any one of such events would leave me devastated. But then I look at Mary and Joseph and realize that with prophecies in hand, they knew they were in for some hard times. And yet they trusted. They trusted God to care for his Son and for them no matter what happened. Can I trust God to care for me and for my family no matter what happens? Do I only trust God when he is making my life easy? Or can I trust him even when things aren’t so happy? Is my trust in God conditional on him giving me what I want? Or can I trust him even when things are rough believing that in those difficult times, I will learn to trust him more?

A Quiet Moment in History

When the government decides to take a census, everyone must cooperate. The fact that Mary is 9 months pregnant will not keep them from having to travel to their home town. And since everyone is traveling, finding lodging is not easy. Mary and Joseph end up in a stable and the baby decides to come. Why God chose for his son to be born in a stable to poor parents who were essentially refugees, I have difficulty understanding. I imagine the angels were there hovering, staying out of the way but there to make sure Jesus was protected.

And then God who is the proud Papa had to tell someone. And he chose the lowly shepherds to make this announcement to. “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” [I’d be too if the sky was suddenly lit up with bright light in the middle of the night!] “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’” Luke 2:8-14 “Do not be afraid.” Here it is again. When the angel first shows up, the shepherds are terrified and he quickly says, “Do not be afraid.” Once he has them calmed a bit more, he tells them the good news: A Savior has been born. The Messiah has come!

I wonder why God chose to tell lowly shepherds. Was it because God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble? James 4:6 Or was it because they wouldn’t question what they saw and would go? Or was it that lowly shepherds were the ones who were quiet and open to hearing the message? Why didn’t God send angels all across the sky around the whole world announcing the birth of his Son? Maybe he did and no one but the shepherds looked up! Or maybe it was because the news was for “all people” and God knew the shepherds would share freely what they had seen and heard and he got a kick out of seeing the lowly shepherds having fantastic news to share with others. Usually the last to know, this time they were the first!

A few years ago, I walked outside for a moment and noticed someone standing several yards away gazing into the sky. At first I was amused by them and then after a while, I became curious and looked up to see what this person might be looking at. Wow! The sky was lit with the Northern Lights colorfully dancing in the sky. I realized that if he had not been standing there looking into the sky, I would have missed a most beautiful display of God’s creativity. I quickly let some others know and we all stood there enjoying the display for the next half hour.

I wonder how many times God displays his glory in the sky or otherwise and I miss it simply because I do not look up. The angels got the attention of the shepherds. And then they acted on the information and went to Bethlehem to see the special baby. Once they saw him, they immediately began to tell others what they saw both in the sky and in the manger and what the angels had told them about this.

When we see God’s glory, just like the shepherds, we have to tell others. But how many times do we miss God’s glory because we don’t look up or listen. Many times I have said and have heard others say that we wish God would write the answer in the sky for us or speak audibly to us and tell us what we should do. First of all, I think I’d be terrified if I saw the answer written in the sky and I’d need an angel standing there saying, “Do not be afraid!” But secondly, maybe God does write the answer all around me in his quiet way and I need to look up in order to see it. And if I don’t look up on my own, I need to at least see someone else looking up and follow their gaze so I don’t miss the glory of God working in my life. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places. Maybe I’m looking where I want the answer to be rather than where God is quietly pointing me.

After the shepherds left to tell others the amazing events of the night, we are told, “Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 I’m pretty sure God knew what he was doing in choosing Mary to be the mother of his Son. She did not elevate herself in importance because of the events, but rather, she treasured them and pondered them. I think that this is a very good clue about finding God’s answers to things – treasuring what is happening and pondering it. That state of mind makes us open to seeing and hearing what God is doing.

Lord, help me take time to ponder the treasures that you are giving me daily in my life. Open my eyes to see your glory displayed for those who will take the time to look up and see what you have quietly done while others are sleeping. I don’t want to miss you because I am too preoccupied with other things. I want to see you in all your creative glory quietly making your presence known to those who will look up and listen.

Universal Signing

I can only imagine the joy that filled Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s house when the baby boy was born to them in their old age. Zechariah’s still not talking when the day comes to circumcise and name the baby, so the community takes it into their own hands and begins to name the boy after his father. But Elizabeth in a moment of boldness spoke up, “No! He is to be called John.” Luke 1:60 The people are confused and look to Zechariah. Scripture says that they “made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.” Luke 1:62 I find this hilarious, but true today as well. When we talk to someone who has laryngitis, we whisper because they are whispering. John wasn’t deaf. He didn’t need the signs. But he couldn’t speak, so he had come up with sign language over the past nine months and when that failed, he used paper to write on. He wrote, “His name is John.” Luke 1:63. Now it is obvious that he believes that John is special just as the angel Gabriel had told him. He’s had nine months to think about it and I’m guessing he did a lot of talking to God during those nine months (in sign language, of course) and probably he did a good bit of listening as well.

I got to pondering sign language a bit and find it somewhat of a play on words. Zechariah had to use sign language to communicate because he needed a sign in order to believe what Gabriel had told him about the birth of John. And as I thought more about signing, I thought about how sign language is built on concepts more than spelling of words and there is a lot that can be communicated across language barriers. So maybe sign language should become the universal language that we use to communicate and then it wouldn’t matter if we spoke Spanish, English, German, or Russian. We could communicate.

And another thought is that God uses sign language all the time. “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

Once Zechariah got his voice back, he “was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David… And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’” John 1:67-69; 76-79

John was given his job description before he was even born. And at birth, it was confirmed. He was to sound the horn of salvation – to call people to repentance. He would call people back to their God, preparing the way for Jesus, the Messiah. I’m sure Zechariah and Elizabeth taught John his job description as he grew. “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” Luke 1:80

I wonder why John needed to live in the desert. Maybe it was so that he wouldn’t be tainted by the ‘dead religion’ and he would be able to hear God’s voice. He had a big job to do and it meant a lot of preparation was needed. He had to be totally in touch with God and hear God’s voice. It could not be drowned out by anything.

I wonder how much I drown out the voice of God just by daily living. Do I take time to come away and quiet the electronics and voices of others and just listen to God? God still has a message for the world and he still needs willing servants to prepare the way. Am I willing to come away and let God prepare me to be a voice calling out in the darkness of this world, letting people know a new light has dawned?

Simply Yours

Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. She was looking forward to a very normal life in the Jewish community of Nazareth – until Gabriel showed up. “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 Mary is thinking, “Who are you? Where did you come from? And what for greeting is this? Where are you going with this?”

“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’” Luke 1:30-33 There it is again, “Do not be afraid.” Those words always seem to be in front of something like, “God is going to do something really big here! And he wants you to be involved. But you are going to have to trust him and do what he says.”

Mary seems to have a very uncomplicated and trusting relationship with God because her response was not one of disbelief, but rather, a simple question. “How will this be since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34 Gabriel tells her how it is to happen and then tells her about Elizabeth being six months pregnant. “For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 Mary doesn’t argue but simply says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Luke 1:38

I wonder if I could have let go of my life plans so easily. I think I would have said, “I need some time to think about this. I’ll get back to you in a few months or maybe years and let you know if I’m willing.” Gabriel would have had to make me speechless like Zechariah to get my attention. I wonder how many things I hold on to now when God is saying, “I want you to do this…” and I wine and say, but I have too much to do. I need some down time. I wonder what work of God I leave undone because I am not willing to immediately say, “I am your servant.”

Mary seems to not only be willing, but excited by what is happening. She hurries to see Elizabeth and the moment Mary enters the room, “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!’” Luke 1:41-45 Elizabeth could only have spoken those words by the Holy Spirit. She would have had no other way of knowing. But she quickly confirmed for Mary that it wasn’t a dream and that it was really happening. She was chosen to give birth to the Messiah!

I’ve been part of some good worship with God. My soul is so much in touch with God and his awesomeness I can hardly bear the intense joy. But I cannot fathom what Mary and Elizabeth were feeling at this time. They both had to have been aware of the prophecies and realized that they were being fulfilled through them. Mary begins to sing a beautiful song of worship to her God.

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name… He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.” Luke 1:46-49; 52-55 The upside down kingdom is already apparent in Mary’s song. Jesus was coming to turn things around. He would bring rulers down and elevate the humble, feed the hungry and send the rich away empty.

What faith this young woman had! What uncomplicated faith! No wonder God chose her among all women in the world. How often I have to still my knowledgeable mind and quiet my wisdom of this world in order to hear the uncomplicated words of Jesus. Lord, please help me to simply be your servant, trusting you to do what you said you would do.