God uses all situations for His Glory, even ones filled with suffering and lingering questions over why we go through them.
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 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. 36 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. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Mary was an unwed woman expecting a child, something that was certainly not a good look at the time. I’m not so sure I would handle this situation as well as she does. If it were me I would certainly be asking God, ‘Why?’
In fact, there are many times where I look at the injustices of the world and similar questions plague my heart. Why does God put people through such awful times? Why do we go through these things if they cause so much pain and suffering? Will we ever understand the point of these hardships?
When the angel Gabriel visits Mary, her cousin Elizabeth is 6 months into an unexpected pregnancy, and Gabriel has some big news for Mary. Life changing news; we often think of the amazing promise Mary receives and forget the incredible cost. This unwed, probably teenage, girl is going to have to carry a pregnancy when nobody knows who the father is. A disgrace in the eyes of the people that she has to live with. How confusing. Mary is told that her son will be great, the Son of the Most High. He will be called the Son of God and he will reign over Jacob’s Descendants forever. God shares His plan with Mary for her son but so much of it must have made so much more sense in hindsight. However, for Mary, any confusion she has doesn’t matter. Any fear over the future is calmed because she believes God is using her for His Good.
We all find ourselves in times where it’s not always clear what God is doing in our lives. It can be difficult to carry on when these times are filled with pain or suffering. But if anything, Mary shows us that God is good always and He uses us for His glory. I’m sure there were many painful moments for Mary throughout her pregnancy and certainly throughout her life. It could not be easy seeing her son whom she loved brutally killed on that cross. But just like at the beginning of his life she had faith that God was doing good.
Head: What are some times in your life where you felt confused, frustrated or in pain over the things that were happening?
Heart: Are there times where it is difficult to believe God is using you for His good? Why/why not?
Hands: What are some things you can do to encourage others and yourself to persevere through these times?
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the times where you are shaping us and moulding us through hardships. Help us to look to you and to Jesus through these times. Provide us with the comfort that all things work for your glory.
A song to listen to: It is Well
Jackie McTaggart
An earlier version of this Grow Daily contained a mistake that we unfortunately, due to a breakdown in our processes, picked up after posting. This has now been corrected; and we apologise for publishing this in error.
