Hi
Hope you’ve been thinking on all things lovely, pure, honest, true and commendable in the rough patches. And if not, just remember that we are works in progress. We’re changing gears today; and I wonder – have you ever paused to think about some life points embedded in the Christmas Story? Consider today’s Holy Nougat for example:
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,” Luke 1:26 NLT
When Mary meets Gabriel, Elizabeth’s pregnancy should have been public knowledge. Especially when it was surrounded by angels and the absolute miraculous. Remember, Elizabeth was past child-bearing and science hadn’t yet gotten close to divine technology; there were no fertility drugs to justify visible pregnancy. Plus, having met with the angel, her husband was mute. Yup people were likely to have talked about it! If they managed to keep it quiet, and it seems they did, a visit to Elizabeth would easily confirm the facts.
God’s timing was not accidental.
Whether we wait in barren half-heartedness or in total surrender, God’s got a plan for us. Perhaps we are not even expecting God’s latest ‘and suddenly’, like Mary was caught by surprise, God’s still got plans for us. And it sometimes includes the visible fulfillment of one, before the fulsome plan becomes clear. They might not even seem related.
But God!
Just think, our miracle may be the precuts to someone else’s. And sometimes our pain is also part of another’s journey or even their blessing. In the barrenness, seek God’s plan. In the unexpected, we seek God’s face. In all things we invite God’s direction; for Gabriel or not, God’s got a personalized plan for each of us, in the fullness of time.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
