Hearing His Voice #359

Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

Luke 2:19

God was clearly doing a marvelous work in the birth of His Son, and He had chosen to do it through a normal, humble family. Mary could not look to any precedent for understanding these events. She could not find a template for God’s new work in Abraham, Moses, Joseph, David, or any prophet in the Scriptures. At this point in history, she could not unfold all the messianic prophecies and see how they applied to her current situation. This work was—and still is—unique to human history.

It’s wonderful when God does something in our lives and we are immediately able to relate it to some story or character in His Word. That makes it easier to see how we are fitting in with His overall work and His ways. But when He does something unusual in our lives, we walk through our circumstances with both caution and awe. We ask lots of questions. We wonder how things will turn out. We treasure the possibility that we have been chosen to do something specific for God’s purposes.

Mary miraculously conceived and gave birth to God’s Son. Shepherds in the nearby fields saw angels and came to visit the new King. What would the life of this child look like? How would Mary and Joseph handle the responsibility of parenting Him? If this life was beginning with such fanfare, what miracles would come in the next few years? Mary kept these things in her heart. She treasured them and pondered them constantly. She held the work and words of God with a sacred wonder. She modeled how we are to respond when the divine agenda intersects our lives in a miraculous way.

Lord, sometimes I’m amazed at what You’re doing in my life. I don’t take Your words for granted. I won’t assume the ordinary in my relationship with You. I choose to walk with wonder in every step You lead me to take.