Blessed is She who Believes

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my soul 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."

Luke 1:46-49

As I write these words, they bring me much peace. You could say the author of them knew how to look at the glass as half-full, rather than half-empty. The times and circumstances in which they were spoken were difficult and filled with uncertainty. Any idea who said them? I'll give you a hint, they come from Luke 1. That rules out Moses, David, and the prophets of the Old Testament, along with Jesus since He isn't born until chapter 2.

They are spoken by Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was most likely still a teenager at the time. She had just received the news that she was going to be the mother of the Messiah. Great news, right? Well, except for the fact she wasn't married and only had a disappearing angel to vouch for her claim to virginity. I can hear her parents now: "You saw an angel, and he said what?"

She had a reason to be freaked-out and takes off to visit her older--much older cousin. I'm sure Elizabeth was someone she loved and trusted or she wouldn't have gone to her, but she probably wasn't expecting to be greeted with such excitement.

"Blessed are you among women, Mary, and blessed is the child you will bear!"

"How do you know?"

"Oh, the baby told me," Elizabeth laughed, patting her own rounded belly with her wrinkled hand. "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

Mary may not have believed her cousin except Lizzy's story of having a baby in her old age was just as crazy, and she needed to hear those words: "Blessed is she who believes."

The bad news? It can be difficult to believe. And it can be more difficult to believe we are blessed for believing.

But the good news? Faith is all about believing the unbelievable. Mary may not have known what was going to happen next, but faith isn't about knowing what is going to happen, it's about knowing that whatever happens will be good when God is involved. It's not about what you know, but Who you know.

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my soul 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."

Mary spoke these words long before her pregnancy was visible, before she safely delivered Jesus in a lowly stable, before He began sharing the Good News of Salvation for all, before He was crucified and rose from the dead to seal the promise of Eternal Life. But she knew God had already done great things for her and that He would again. She knew that goodness would touch others too. She knew His ways were always perfect, even when it was difficult to see.

Mary and I have never met. Mary lived in a different time-period, a different country, and a different culture. But we know the same God: The LORD. Yahweh. Jehovah. The Mighty One who has done great things for me. Holy is His Name.

It's like the seasons that change faithfully from year to year. Whether you live where the colors of leaves change and fall to the ground to protect the trees from a cold winter, or where the monsoons come at the same time each year, or where it simply becomes warmer or cooler, you know what's coming because nature is so consistent. God designed it this way to display His character, to remind us that whatever may be changing around us, whatever storms come our way, whatever surprises and unpredictable situations arise, that we can count on Him to always bring the calmer times, the blessings in disguise, and the obvious signs of His faithfulness.

Others can say that God doesn't...or God won't...or God can't. But God will always show who He is and what He can do. He will always keep His promises. God is always who He is whether we believe it or not. He is mighty, holy, amazing, awesome, powerful, loving, merciful, good, right, and just.

He wants us to recognize and believe Him for our benefit so we can have confidence, peace, hope, joy, and patience. Like Mary did. She believed because of what she heard God say, not because of what she could see.

I'm sure she had her moments of doubt too. Perhaps when she did, she sang these words penned by her ancestor David. We would be blessed to do the same:

"Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings."

Psalm 61:1-4

Unless otherwise noted, story and Scripture taken from Luke 1:5-49, NIV. Paraphrases mine.