Faithbase

The story of Christmas, Day 5. The Beams, or the Background. The angel Gabriel first appears to Zechariah to announce that he and his wife Elizabeth are pregnant with John, who will prepare the way for the promised Messiah. Then the angel appears to Mary, telling her that she will give birth to said promised Messiah. Mary goes and stays with Elizabeth, their cousins, and they are both pregnant with Jesus and John respectively. While Mary's there, she writes today's beautiful song that really expresses great praise to God for the blessings He's placed, not only in her life, but in the lives for generations past and generations to come. The verse, Luke chapter 1, verses 46-56, Mary's song. And Mary said, 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. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm. He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 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, just as He promised our ancestors. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. Christine, what does this mean to me and how can I apply it to my life today? Here in today's song, Mary is highlighting that God is capable of doing as she recalls His blessings of the past to serve as a reminder of the blessings to come. I want you to take a moment and think back on a time when God truly blessed you. Maybe it was meeting your spouse, putting you in the right place at the right time, or maybe it was leading you to the right company, or working through the process of buying a home, or through the birth of a new baby. If you could go back and look at the circumstances surrounding this blessing, where do you notice God? Was there any work that happened behind the scenes that you didn't know of at the time that aided in your blessing coming to fruition? I love to think back and remember how God worked for years preparing me to meet Jimmy before I did. If I had met him a year earlier, I would have ruined our relationship because my heart was damaged and I just wasn't ready to receive love. And if Jimmy's friends had not convinced him to go out for pizza and beers that Friday night, he was dead set on staying in, well then we might never have met. Looking back, I can clearly see how God was blessing me that night in 2008, but while I was there, in that moment, I couldn't possibly see all that was in store for us. As a 21-year-old junior in college, I couldn't possibly see the intense love we'd have for another, the marriage, the children God had planned, but He could. God could see it all. Sometimes we don't recognize God's blessings until they are in hindsight. Let's take a little lesson from Mary today and in anticipation for the blessings we know are to come, may we remember to praise and honor God for the ones He already blessed us with. It may seem crazy, but I really encourage you to spend some time thinking or even writing about the biggest blessings in your life. And go back, see if you can trace the hand of God at work orchestrating life in order for you to receive those blessings. It will amaze you and provide you with encouragement that you need as you face those times of trial or when you're simply waiting on more blessings in the future.