It’s the New Year and Christmas is beginning to fade in to the background as we face the challenges of a new season. Jesus is our living hope and wants to fill our hearts with the light of deep conviction that He is with us and our future is in His loving hands.
In the Christmas story, one phrase always challenges me. It is about Mary and a choice she makes in all that was going on around Jesus’ birth. It says, ‘Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.’ (Luke 2:19)
Mary wanted to root her thoughts in the promises God had given her and the various happenings like the shepherds coming to worship and the wise men bringing their gifts. Anna and Simeon too, both recognised Jesus when Mary and Joseph brought him to Jerusalem for the purification rites. They spoke incredible prophetic words over Him and it says that ‘the child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him.’ We can marvel by just saying ‘Wow,’ but Mary’s marvelling was deeper. She was choosing to plant these things deep into her inner consciousness and treasure them. She wanted to extract all the hope, strength and wisdom that she possibly could. It says she ‘pondered them in her heart.’ She wanted her thoughts to dwell in God’s love and to mull over His words in her mind so as to drink in the fullness of their life-giving truths.
This is a wonderful key for us all as it is so easy for our thoughts to latch onto the hard things. Over Christmas I was feeling sad one day and my thoughts were instantly bombarded by feelings of failure and hurt. Those feelings went far beyond the situation, but they were pulling me down into a quicksand of negativity. Satan loves to attack us but God has given us weapons to fight him. The ‘shield of faith and the belt of truth’ (Ephesians 6) are 2 of those powerful weapons. You ward off enemy arrows with a shield, so we need to ward off those negative feelings with faith. Paul teaches us that faith comes through ‘hearing the word of God.’ (Romans 10:17.) That means hearing it in our hearts, not just in a passing way, but doing as Mary did in pondering it, praying through it, claiming it and reflecting upon it. As we do that, our faith in God’s promises and the integrity of His character will rise up in our hearts and give us strength and joy to face each day.
Remember Mary’s life was extremely uncertain after the birth of Jesus. The family had to flee to Egypt because of Herod’s murderous agenda. They were in danger, isolated and alone in a country they did not know. I believe they stayed strong and in the centre of God’s love because of their diligence in choosing to treasure all the riches of God’s promises.
Whatever challenges face you in this new season, I pray that you too will be reminded of God’s powerful promises to forgive, love and care for you at all times. You are the apple of His eye and His beloved child. Nothing can separate you from His love. He is in your past to bring you peace and in your future to bring you hope and new vision. Take time to ponder His love every day and like Mary and Joseph you will be strengthened in everyway.
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