It does not take much intelligence for me to look out into our world today and discover that there is a lot of confusion. There is controversy over which way to go. There is conflicting information. There are power struggles as nations compete to become the best and to buy the power of influence. As citizens, we find ourselves confused as we listen and watch.
I compare this with the study of the Bible, which I have done for many years now. As I observe and listen to the nations competing with one another for control, I observe that the Bible teaches that God has a plan. He initiated that plan in the beginning of time and that plan will continue, in spite of the confusion around us. Not only do we observe the plan of God, but He gives us very specific information on how He will turn this confusion into the completion of His plan. Man’s plan was to build a tower whose top would reach to the heavens, but God’s plan was to confuse languages so man would be distributed around the earth. [Genesis 11] God then initiated His plan by calling one man, Abraham, through whom He would build a new nation from which will come His Son to save humankind from themselves.
It is extremely interesting to observe how God would bring this to pass. Secular history gives us the information on the condition of the world as God prepared to initiate His plan. Rome, by sheer power, had become the power base for the entire then known world. God then bypasses all of the structures that man has put into place to find a teen-aged girl in an out of the way place called Nazareth. He sends the angel Gabriel with the message that she will find herself with child by the Holy Spirit and that this child will be The Son Of God who will rule over the house of David forever.
I find myself asking, how does this young woman respond to this message? Her parents are never mentioned. If she has siblings, they are never mentioned. There is no Biblical information of how Mary may have responded to Gabriel’s message other than “And Mary said, behold the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. [Luke 1:38]
There is no record of her informing any family members, but she does take a very significant journey. She travels from Nazareth to her aunt’s home, which would be a journey of over 50 miles. Her aunt’s name was Elizabeth who was carrying in her womb John the Baptist.
As Mary entered the home of Elizabeth, “The baby [John the Baptist] leaped in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit”. [Luke 1:41] Elizabeth miraculously was aware of the babe in Mary’s womb because she cried out, “blessed among women are you and blessed is the fruit of your womb”. [Luke 1:42]
It is of great interest to me how Mary responded as she greets her aunt Elizabeth. She spontaneously offers this prayer:
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord, how my spirit rejoices in God my savior!
For He took notice of His lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations
will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me.
He shows His mercy from generation to generation and to all who fear Him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped His servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.
For He made His promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and His children forever”.
[Luke 1:46-55]
This prayer of Mary has been put to music and is called “The Magnificat”. It is a beautiful prayer/song to the greatness of God. The Bible informs us that Mary stayed with her aunt for three months, then returned home.
As I ponder all of this, I ask myself “how did Mary come into this close relationship with Jehovah”? She lived a long distance from all of the temple ceremonies that took place in Jerusalem. At best, she may have traveled to the Temple once a year for Passover. Because of the distance one needed to travel, many of the Jewish people grew indifferent to the Mosaic Law and its teaching. In this atmosphere, Mary stayed true to her devotion on God.
This speaks to me of my own devotion to God. I live in a day of such abundance, and the Gospel message is so available to me, yet it is so easy to neglect my worship of God.
Mary becomes a very significant part of this plan of God. From her comes The very Son of God. He was fully man and fully God. He lived on this earth for 33 years, then ascended into heaven, with the promise that He would return.
Does God still have a plan? Is paradise lost forever? In spite of the confusion that faces us today, the Bible teaches us that God’s plan is not yet completed. In the midst of all of the confusion in the nations that is seen around us, God’s plan is still on target. Just as it was in the days when God called Abraham, just as in the days when God sent His Son in such an insignificant way; in the same way, we look for the plan of God to be completed by the return of that Son. The world we live in has little to offer in comparison to what God has in store for the new heaven and the new earth.
Do not allow the confusion of the nation’s to rob you of the peace of God.
