Luke 1:26-44: In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
In this Weekly Word on Wednesdays that happens to fall between Christmas and the New Year, I wanted to talk to you about trust. Trust is not an easy thing. Trust has to be earned. Trust can only be given by permission. Trust is risky. Someone said that trust is the most expensive thing in the world because it can take a lifetime to earn and only seconds to lose. Someone else said that being trusted is a greater compliment than being loved. Trust can bring with it a lifetime friendship or a lifetime lesson. However, trust is something that is at the very foundation of the Christian faith. As a matter of fact, faith is trust. We have to trust that God is and was and is to come. We have to trust that God sees everything, knows all things and we have to trust that He can do anything. Trust is a major part of faith. We have to trust that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us and that through Him we can be born again and be in right standing with God. And at the center of our faith we have to trust that God will work all things for our good.
For me heading in to 2022 there are lots of areas where I will need to trust God to what only He can do. I will need to trust that God will work all things for my good. And I need to trust that He sees what I can’t see. I need to trust the fact that God and His Kingdom are bigger and better than the government, the economy and the world’s kingdoms and that it is greater than cultures way of doing things. I have to trust that God sees me and that He knows what is best for me and my family. I have to trust that even in my foolishness that God is faithful because He can not be anything else- that’s who He is- He is faithful! The beginning of all things is trust! And as Christians we have to believe that God is and that He has always existed and that He created all things. We have to believe that God created mankind in His image. We have to believe that He became flesh and dwelt among us and we must believe that He is God with us! We have to trust that Christ rose from the dead on the third day and we have to trust Him for salvation by grace through faith.
It’s amazing that at the core of the Christian faith we are asked to trust that God has always existed, that He created the world and that He created mankind in His image. And, we have to trust that Jesus was born of of a virgin and that He walked the earth and was tempted in every way like we would be, yet He knew no sin. But, He became sin for us and our belief and faith in Him makes us righteous, which means that our relationship with Him puts is in right standing with God. All of these things are a matter of trust. Every one of these scenarios demands that we believe what we can’t see and that we believe what would otherwise be impossible to believe, except for God! In life when we are faced with impossible situations or things that don’t make sense- we must trust that the same God who has always existed, the one who created the heavens and the earth. The One who made a way where there was no way. The One who can make the crooked places straight and the One who can make streams in the middle of a dessert. The alpha omega, the beginning and the end. The everlasting God and faithful Father. He is faithful and He is all powerful and He can do anything! Therefore, He is God and He can be trusted!
The scripture above found in Luke recounts the story of the birth of Christ. It deals with several scenarios and matters of trust. Below are the people in the story that had to trust God and trust one another. And below that is a list of areas where we can all grow in trust and deepen our faith and then at the bottom of the page there is a prayer that you can pray. I’m believing that 2022 will be your best year yet! God is faithful and you can trust Him!
The People in the account found in Luke that had to trust God and trust one another:
- Mary had to trust the Angel of the Lord.
- Joseph had to trust the Angel of the Lord.
- Joseph had to trust Mary.
- Mary had to trust herself.
- Their friends and family had to trust them both.
- Mary had to trust Elizabeth.
- Elizabeth had to trust the impression from the Holy Spirit.
- Zacharias and Elizabeth had to trust the angel of the Lord and *the timing of God.
- Zacharias and Elizabeth had to trust the angel of the Lord and *the timing of God.
- Mary and Joseph had to trust God and His timing. *(the census which led them to Bethlehem the city of David / the flight to Egypt which led them to Nazareth)
Some things to remember when it comes to trust:
An inconvenient interruption could be the intersection for increase… TRUST!
Sometimes everything goes wrong for the right reasons… TRUST!
When things feel like they are falling apart, they could be falling into place… TRUST!
Areas where we need to trust more:
- Trust God is who He says He is.
- Trust God loves you for who you are.
- Trust God for Salvation through Jesus.
- Trust God with your future that may be uncertain, difficult, or unknown.
- Trust God that He is a God who is with you.
- Trust God that He will work all things for your good.
- Trust God that He sees everything, knows everything and can do anything.
- Trust God when you’re faced with an inconvenience.
- Trust God when things don’t make sense.
- Trust God when others don’t understand.
- Trust God when He shows up unexpectedly and surprises you.
What do you need to trust God with today?
PRAYER: Lord, give me the courage to step outside of what is safe and comfortable as I trust You to cover me with your all-sufficient grace. Holy Spirit teach me how to grow my capacity to handle life’s challenges from a posture of trust and expectation of good. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me, even when I don’t see it- you are my refuge and my strength and with You, all things are possible! Amen.
