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.

God, Help Me!

Come, let us tell of the LORD'S greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles.

Psalm 34:3-6

The Psalms: Some call them biblical literature, others poetry. They were originally written as songs to praise Yahweh (the proper name of the Living God, translated as Jehovah or the LORD). We use many of the Psalms to praise God today, and they remind us of His character and greatness. Current artists who write new songs to honor God and tell of His ways are simply modern-day psalmists; so are those who write inspired messages, poetry, and stories. Our words come from more than an artistic gift or imagination. They come from the heart. They come from the Spirit. They come from experience. They come from spiritual revelation--which is a big phrase that simply means, 'I get it. I see and I understand. I believe.'

When David wrote the words of Psalm 34, he had just escaped desperate circumstances. David spent many years of his life living through one crisis after another. God had anointed him to be King of Israel when he was a young boy, but he had to wait to take the throne, and King Saul wanted him dead. Others were after him too, and he escaped death multiple times. How?

I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me...
I prayed, and the LORD listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.

He didn't say, 'I was in trouble so I kept my sword handy, and I was a mighty warrior!' That isn't to say he didn't have a sword or he wasn't a great warrior, but his trust was not in his weapons or his own skill and power. He may have been scared and run for his life, but in the end he was able to say, 'I asked God for help and He saved me. He delivered me from the things that scared me.' He wasn't fearless. He was afraid. That's why he cried out to God, his only hope.

We live in a society that says, 'Take care of yourself. Be self-sufficient. Protect yourself. Provide for yourself. Depend on your money. Depend on your education. Depend on your own strength...' The list goes on. What or who are you depending on? What have you placed your faith in? Who do you believe can really help you?

Rescue may come from invisible sources at times, but God often uses people and things to help us. I use a computer to type my blogs and stories. If mine broke, I would need God to provide money for a new one. I am currently healthy, but if I got sick, I would use medicine to cure me or rely on a surgeon's skillful hands (and I have!). I need a home to provide shelter. I eat food to keep my body fueled and healthy. When I am facing a crisis, emotional distress, or physical harm, others may come to my aid. But my trust is not in people or things. It's in God. I trust Him to take care of me. And when the day comes for me to leave this earth, I trust Him to take me to my eternal home in heaven.

Like David, however, I am often afraid. I find comfort in his words when he says, He freed me from all my fears. I don't think David is saying God took the fear away, but rather that He always rescued him from what he feared. And I would agree that's been true for me too. The things I worry about usually don't happen, especially when I ask God to help or protect me (or others) from those specific things. But even when they do happen, it's never as bad as I imagined. God gives me what I need to make it through, grow my faith and character, and even bless me in new ways.

People often ask me where I get the inspiration for my stories. I have a good imagination, and I can come up with tales "out of my head" easily; but the stories--the psalms: the testimonies of God's faithfulness and love and goodness come from my own life. Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)  David wrote these words thousands of years ago, but they resonate with my own heart today.

I have tasted His goodness, and I have seen His faithfulness. My prayer is that you will do the same. Trust Him with whatever you need today. Look to Him for help. If you are afraid, ask Him to protect you. If you are confused or feel alone, believe He is near. You are loved. You are His. You can simply say, "God, help me!", and He will.

 

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Psalm 36:5

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

As I Have Loved You

This I know. God is on my side. Psalm 56:9

 
God is on my side. Wow. If I could believe that--all the time, every day, in any situation: When I am afraid; When I feel like a failure; When I have a choice to follow God and do what He says is best for me or do my own thing; What would my choice be? What would your choice be? God is on your side. Do you believe that?

Before Jesus gave His life for all mankind and rose from the dead, conquering sin and death for all time, He gave His disciples a command; He said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34)

What's interesting about this command is that it wasn't really new. From the beginning of the Hebrew Nation when Moses led God's people to the Promised Land of Israel, God had given them a few commandments that Jesus Himself said were the most important:"Listen to God...love God with all of your heart...and love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:28-31)

The central part of Jesus' message was love. God's love and mercy for all people was the Good News He came to share. It wasn't earned love, it was love to simply receive: To believe in God's forgiveness, mercy, and blessings and to live in that love in every area of life. Not to be religious. Not to follow a long list of rules. Not to offer sacrifices to be forgiven of sin or live under the curse it had brought to the world; but to live in freedom, peace, joy, and love.

So why did Jesus call this a "new" command? Loving others was nothing new, but the original command said '...love your neighbor as yourself.' (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus changed it when He said, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another." At first glance, this command actually seems harder than the first, even impossible. To love someone as I love myself, I can probably do that most of the time if I really try, although I'm sure I would still fail at it plenty. But to love others as God loves me? He's kidding, right? How can I possibly love even those closest to me that much, let alone people who annoy me, have different beliefs, hurt me, or are just idiots? Thanks for raising the bar, Jesus--as if it wasn't already high enough. (Eyes-rolling Emoji)

But the beauty of His command can be seen when I take a closer look. It's not just about loving others as God loves me, it's about believing just how much I am loved. God does not expect us to give something that is not a part of us. While some have the ability to love more than others due to upbringing and receiving plenty of human love themselves, no one can love like God loves innately. We simply are not born with that capacity in our broken humanness. We are too selfish, fearful, and weak. We can only love like that when God's love is the central part of our being; and the only way to have that is to receive His love every day, every hour, every moment.

Knowing how much of God's love I'm receiving can be difficult to measure. How much is all? How much is enough? How much am I receiving today compared to yesterday or last month or last year? But here's a good gauge to go by: if you're having trouble loving others, if you're having trouble keeping any of God's commands, you're not receiving enough of His love.

"As I have loved you..." Think about what that means. It means a lot of things, and it means different things to different people. But this I know: It means God is on my side; and He's on yours too. Hear it, believe it, and live like it. Live loved. Live forgiven. Live free. He loves you, He loves you, He loves you; and He is for you, not against you. He is on your side.


Psalm 56:9 (NLT)
Mark 12:28-31: paraphrase mine