The day was like any other, despite the butterflies and spontaneous smile that crossed her lips whenever she thought of Joseph. Soon they would be married, and she would begin the life she had dreamed of since she was a young girl; a godly husband, her own home, and children, by Yahweh’s grace.

Her little room was suddenly aglow with brilliant light and a tall man in blazing white clothes stood before her. The gasp froze in her throat.

“Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”, he said.

The angel Gabriel! Mind buzzing, she struggled to take in what was happening.

Highly favoured? Blessed? She was a simple young Jewish girl, with no standing and no wealth. What was he talking about?

Gabriel continued. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

The Messiah? Mary thought to herself in amazement. The long-awaited Saviour of her people? How did she find favour with God? She knew the wickedness of her own heart. Yet this otherworldly being was telling her Yahweh had chosen her.

The thought of it was an unmerited, stunning favour! Her mind couldn’t take it in. Besides, she was a virgin, keeping herself for her husband. Inhaling deeply, Mary whispered, “How can this be?”. The only men she had ever kissed were her father and Joseph when he proposed.  

Holy Spirit joy filled Mary’s heart when she learned God’s plan. In her mountaintop elation, she ran to tell her relative and friend Elizabeth, who had also received the favour of a miraculous pregnancy. But later would come disappointment, wounding, sorrow, grief and horror.

We are each favoured by the saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Like Mary, with that blessing and joy comes all the rest.

The journey can feel long in the trenches, but short in the mountain air.

I love how the Holy Spirit tells us in Scripture that Mary stored the words of the angel and others in her heart and mind. I believe they were a great comfort to her in the years when Jesus was busy fulfilling His ministry and was then crucified.

Disappointments, painful words, sorrows and betrayals will come and threaten to overwhelm us. Like Mary, we need to store up all our past joys and blessings and recall them in those dark and muddy trenches. Running to close friends or relatives refreshes our souls in their stories. We also need to turn and soak in the Lord’s presence and His Word to sustain us through those long, arduous days.

In the end, is the awe-struck awareness of the unmerited, stunning favour given us to share eternity with our Father.

The Lord blessed Mary among all women to carry this most precious of gifts. But she couldn’t possibly comprehend the magnitude of that gift or the blessing on her. We also cannot fully comprehend this, but we can rejoice and celebrate in the truth of it, in the trenches and on the mountaintop.

This season may be one or the other for you and me, but joy and peace are ours to be had. The choice is up to us. Let’s not let the enemy steal our joy during this special time of year. Life isn’t perfect, but Christ is, and He is worth celebrating and following.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2 NIV

Christ lived, suffered and died so He could know the joy of having you with Him for eternity. Rejoice in that!

Be well!

Patricia