The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
This Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. A miraculous
birth; the most important birth in history. Jesus being born is a great gift to
us; because of his life and death, he gives the opportunity for each of our
souls to be reconnected with the God of the universe. As I read these words
from the Bible, I try to think about that encounter between Mary and the angel.
If it were me, what would I think? What would I do? Because of her response of
obedience to God and in her trust of The Holy Spirit, we were given the gift of
Jesus coming to earth. My other thought lies in the words of the angel “The
Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you”…For no word from God will ever fail.”
The same Holy Spirit that gave Mary the confidence and the
power to walk through the struggles of pregnancy, child birth, judgmental
looks, hurting her fiancé, being an outcast of society, and every other
struggle that came her way…is the Holy Spirit that lives today to give you and
me power to overcome. It is not something we can build up within ourselves, the
Holy Spirit is a person living in us that overshadows us, surrounds up, and
helps us walk through anything God calls us to walk through.
For no word from
God will ever fail. The Bible is filled with many promises from God. Promises
that I cling to when I forget his love for me. Promises that he will send us a
helper (John 14:16-Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised to send a
helper, the Holy Spirit.) Promises of God’s strength (Isaiah 41:10-When you are
weak, you can rely upon the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe to strengthen you.)
Promises for direction in our lives (Psalm 32:8-He knows the pitfalls and
dangers that lie ahead and will teach you which way to go. and Promises of his
love (Jeremiah 31:3-I have loved you with an everlasting (forever) love.)
Just as the promises of God prevailed in Mary’s life as she
walked the unknown path of giving birth to the Savior of the world, every
promise God has given to you and I through his word will prevail as well.
Breathe of Heaven by Amy Grant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XApkl80-sb8
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