As we progress through advent and the promised coming of Jesus, I am thinking about how God loves to invade our lives and change our landscapes. In Luke 1 we read how the Lord sent His angel Gabriel to Nazareth to speak to Mary. She was a virgin, a young girl recently betrothed to Joseph.She thought her life was mapped out, that she knew its landscape and all that would be unfolding before her. She loved God but probably had no expectation of the part He would ask her to play in His plans.
We can be like Mary, thinking we know what is ahead,making our decisions day by day on the basis of what we expect to happen. We love God with all our hearts and serve Him with passion, but because He loves this world so much He always longs to bring light where there is darkness, to bring hope where there is despair, to bring joy where there is mourning, and to bring beauty instead of ashes. All of these promises came into being through His plan to birth a baby in a virgin’s womb.
If we are willing, like Mary, to let Him in, then His coming may change the landscape of our lives forever. There’s no doubt that Mary was overwhelmed at the news that she was going to carry the long awaited Messiah. But God loved her heartfelt response, ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ she said, ‘let it be done to me as you have said.’ She was willing to lay her plans and expectations down and to trust that God would bring good even though everything she knew was being shattered before her eyes.
When God breaks into our lives it is always to bring the power of His love and beauty to birth. Sometimes that means the plains and paths of our lives will change shape or alter direction. We may need, as God tells Joshua, to ‘be strong and very courageous’ but it will always be for the good. His plans are awesome and wonderful. Only He could have entrusted His beautiful work of redemption to an ordinary, young girl and trust that she would partner with Him to bring that plan to fruition.
I long that in this season of Advent, my own heart is as willing as Mary’s to let God invade my life and change its landscape. May my response always be, ‘Yes Lord, come have your way in me.’
May we all know the joy of being part of God’s amazing plans this Christmas. He chose Joseph to be the strong servant hearted husband that Mary needed, He chose the inn keeper to offer the available space he had when no one else would. He chose the despised shepherds to be the first to hear the good news of Jesus birth and He chose an elderly barren woman to birth the man who would herald Jesus’ coming.
Just as Mary had found favour with the Lord, so His favour is upon you for you are loved with an everlasting love, created and chosen to reveal His splendour in your own beautiful and unique way.
