W2W 12 Days of Christmas Day 2
On the 2nd Day of Christmas my First Love gave to me:
A love that you can depend on that will never let you down
As you all know I am a hopeless romantic and there is no better time of year to get lost in the romance than at Christmas. It is all around us, Christmas films with romantic plots, images of snuggling up on the sofa with a loved one sipping hot chocolate and who can forget the mistletoe. It’s a wonderful time of year. Or is it?
You could be tricked into believing that we all experience the magic and wonder of Christmas. The reality is, not everyone feels this way. Maybe you believed you would be sharing it with someone special this year and for some reason that plan has changed. What then? What happens to the magic of Christmas then? Is it still possible to feel the love when everything you had hoped for has disappeared?
One day a teenage girl got up as she always did. She will have had the same dreams and aspirations as any young girl. She may have even been dreaming that morning of her future with her fiancée. Maybe she was dreaming of what their wedding day would be like and what she would wear, or what they would call their firstborn. Then all of a sudden everything that she had hoped and planned for was about to be turned upside down.
An angel appeared to Mary and told her she was a “highly favoured woman and that God was with her” Scripture tells us that she was confused and afraid. The angel proceeded to tell her that she will “give birth to a son and he will be called Jesus” (Luke 1:26-38). Now this is certainly not what she had planned. But what do you do when your life is turned upside down and your dreams dashed? You would think that Mary would proceed to ask a thousand questions. What do you mean? How am I to tell my fiancé? What about the people in my village? What if they stone me? What if no one believes me? What if? What If? - But No, she doesn’t say anything like that. Instead she responds by saying “I am the Lord’s servant, may everything you have said about me come true.”? And then the angel left her.
Why did this young girl respond in such a way? Well the story actually tells us why. You see, the angel comforts Mary by reminding her that God is with her. He also tells her that she is special to God and in verse 37 he tells her that God’s word never fails. There is no doubt about it, Mary will have been afraid. She will have had unanswered questions and fears for the future, however she knew that God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). That he loved her and that he would protect her.
Have your plans changed this year? Are you afraid and unsure of the future? God wants you to know not only this Christmas but forevermore that you are special to him, that he loves you and that he won’t let you down. He is asking you to trust him just like Mary did, for he didn’t let her down and he won’t fail you either. Give him your disappointment and allow him to replace it with the greatest love of all.
ON THE 2nd DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY FIRST LOVE GAVE TO ME:
A LOVE THAT YOU CAN DEPEND ON THAT WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN
