Believing

Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
December 12, 2023
Luke 1:37

I have been reviewing again the wonderful Christmas story as told by Luke. Again, and again I am amazed how such a familiar story still surprises me when I carefully read and re read how God became flesh and dwelt among us.

Our scripture passage for today is quite short, but when read in the context of the encounter of Mary, the Angel and Elizabeth, I find it quite encouraging; “For no word from God will ever fail” (NIV), “no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment” (Amplified Bible). What a great reminder; we can trust in God’s word to be fulfilled. Maybe you are asking “what are we waiting for?” Perhaps someone reading this is waiting for a healing; a physical healing, an emotional healing, a relational healing, there are lots of things that need healing. Perhaps someone is waiting for a very special event to occur; a wedding day, a baby to be born, moving into a new home, there are lots of things we wait for with great expectation.

Such was the case for Elizabeth and her cousin Mary. They were truly waiting with great expectations and, no doubt, great fear and anxiety, even though the angel said “Do not be afraid”. Do you ever find those words disconcerting as opposed to comforting? When someone begins a statement with “Now, don’t worry”, or “No need to be afraid”, well, to be honest, if I wasn’t worried or afraid before they said that to me, I certainly become so after they say that to me.

I was reminded by a dear Pastor friend of mine that in these days where we celebrate the joy of Christmas, many are experiencing sorrow or sadness. We have to remember that joy isn’t always synonymous with happiness. There is a lot of unhappiness around us, and yet, God is still working to fulfill all his promises, the biggest one for me is his promise to return in his son Jesus Christ and that gives me a lasting joy, I hope it helps you too. My friend went on to say that some of the sorrow and sadness comes when a person’s expectations are not being met. He suggested that we pray for God to help us make our expectations what his expectations are and then watch and see how he fulfills them. Good advice, I think.

Happy midweek to you and may you find encouragement today knowing that “No word from God will ever fail”.

Amen!