From the time the angel visited Mary until the shepherds departed, Mary's life was non-stop miracle and motion. The angel Gabriel had barely left when Mary quickly departs, traveling to see her relatives Elizabeth and Zechariah. It was a visit full of Holy Spirit moments: a glorious, prophetic greeting, a prayer full of praise and glory to God, John's birth, Zechariah's healing, his prophecy over his son and the Light that was to come. Mary then returns home and is taken as Joseph's wife. In a few months time they are required to register in Bethlehem, so Mary embarks on another journey, this time with Joseph and fully pregnant, arriving about the time she'll have her baby. They settle into their very temporary accommodations, a home for cattle, where Mary gives birth to Jesus.
Just one of these events would have been life-altering and remarkable, but all these events occurred in Mary's life within the span of a year. So many powerful, God-ordained moments, times of revelation and miraculous provision, all culminating with the arrival of shepherds looking for a baby in a manger. They see their Savior and leave glorifying and praising God, a kind of benediction for Mary - not just on the birth of her son Jesus, but on her year and all that God had done. The shepherds depart; and Mary, in the now quiet stable, takes it all in. She gathers all of these precious moments, these gifts from God, and holds them dear and deeply within her heart. She reflects on what they all mean, how they fit together, what might come next. She contemplates God: who he is, how he has chosen to powerfully reveal himself and his plan to her, and how he is revealing himself to the world.
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." There is an invitation to us in these words, an invitation to quiet our hearts and enter into the holy stillness of God. There is a call to pause the frenetic activity of our lives, to come away and be still, to reflect on what God is doing around us and what he desires to do in us and through us. Our hearts need to time to take in what God has done for us, to treasure his work in our lives and his provision for us. Our souls need refreshment, and this is often found in those quiet moments when we remember who God is and how he has revealed himself to us over time. It is in the stillness of God that we find encouragement, perspective, direction, renewed hope and comfort. We find our faith is strengthened as we ponder all the moments and miracles that we hold dear. God is always speaking, always working, always orchestrating events in our lives to reveal more of who he is and his love for us. This Advent, let's enter the holy stillness of God. Let's quiet our hearts and allow our souls to be refreshed as we contemplate the love and goodness of God. Let's gather all of the precious moments of God's revelation and provision in our lives, for these are gifts for us to hold, to treasure, and carry deep within our hearts.
Just one of these events would have been life-altering and remarkable, but all these events occurred in Mary's life within the span of a year. So many powerful, God-ordained moments, times of revelation and miraculous provision, all culminating with the arrival of shepherds looking for a baby in a manger. They see their Savior and leave glorifying and praising God, a kind of benediction for Mary - not just on the birth of her son Jesus, but on her year and all that God had done. The shepherds depart; and Mary, in the now quiet stable, takes it all in. She gathers all of these precious moments, these gifts from God, and holds them dear and deeply within her heart. She reflects on what they all mean, how they fit together, what might come next. She contemplates God: who he is, how he has chosen to powerfully reveal himself and his plan to her, and how he is revealing himself to the world.
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." There is an invitation to us in these words, an invitation to quiet our hearts and enter into the holy stillness of God. There is a call to pause the frenetic activity of our lives, to come away and be still, to reflect on what God is doing around us and what he desires to do in us and through us. Our hearts need to time to take in what God has done for us, to treasure his work in our lives and his provision for us. Our souls need refreshment, and this is often found in those quiet moments when we remember who God is and how he has revealed himself to us over time. It is in the stillness of God that we find encouragement, perspective, direction, renewed hope and comfort. We find our faith is strengthened as we ponder all the moments and miracles that we hold dear. God is always speaking, always working, always orchestrating events in our lives to reveal more of who he is and his love for us. This Advent, let's enter the holy stillness of God. Let's quiet our hearts and allow our souls to be refreshed as we contemplate the love and goodness of God. Let's gather all of the precious moments of God's revelation and provision in our lives, for these are gifts for us to hold, to treasure, and carry deep within our hearts.