Just Thinking...I wonder how many actual days Mary and Joseph were on their journey towards Bethlehem? I read a few different thoughts expressed by different biblical scholars, and the consensus is that it probably took at least a week to 10 days. The way from Nazareth to Bethlehem was rough and arduous...no truck stops or Hampton Inns or McDonalds along the way or rest stops with nice bathroom facilities. Just a long, dusty, hilly, rocky, dirty, dangerous road, with no one to protect them except God Himself.
Now, ladies, for those of us who have given birth, we know how we felt that last week prior to labor and delivery...can you imagine riding for a week or 10 days on the back of a donkey, out in the weather, camping out under the stars at night, regardless of whether it was cold or windy or rainy? I am sure Mary and Joseph were used to harsh conditions...they weren't wealthy people and certainly they worked hard for a living...but even so...this could not be a very pleasant journey for either of them, but most especially not for Mary.
So imagine right now, four days before Christmas, four days before giving birth, imagine yourself in Mary's place...and then to arrive at your destination, and there is no room in the inn (or hospital!)
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| "Sorry folks, there's no room in the inn tonight" |
Imagine, having to lay down in a cattle stall and give birth, all alone except for your husband and some animals nearby, chewing their cud and resting in their stall while you are crying out in the throes of labor pains...no midwife, no pain meds, just you and God,
and you are giving birth to His Son, The Savior of the World!
And the Angels came and sang "Joy to the World, the Lord is Come! Let Earth Receive Her King!"
Truly makes us stop and think, doesn't it? I wonder how much "JOY" we would be feeling if we were in Mary's place? Could we sing with Mary as she does in this passage below?
Luke 1:46-55 NKJV
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
Amen.
So as I think about Mary and her journey today toward Bethlehem, and all that she endured prior to that journey...the amazement of being chosen to be the mother of her Lord and our Lord...the possibility of being put to shame because she was found to be "with child of the Holy Spirit", a young virgin girl, prior to her actual marriage to Joseph...and yet Mary said "yes" to God...
Luke 1:38
"Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!
Let it be to me according to your word.”
Then I should be able to trust God for my circumstances in life as well. I've not been asked to endure the difficulties and sorrows that Mary had to face. True, I've had my disappointments and griefs and sorrows in life, and most likely there will be more before Jesus calls me home. But I love what the Angel Gabriel said to Mary when he told her about what was about to happen to her...he said in Luke 1:37,
"For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Sometimes things happen in our lives that make no sense whatsoever in our natural mind...and we can't see how anything good could come out it for ourselves or anyone else...but then we remember what the Angel said..."With God, NOTHING will be impossible!"
Yet, tonight as I sit here pondering Mary's long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem so many years ago, can you imagine how different our lives would be today if Mary had refused to accept God's will for her life? What if she had said, "Not me, Lord! Find someone else to be the Mother of Your Son. This is too hard for me." I mean, she was only human...she was just a teenager with her whole life in front of her. She probably would never have chosen to go through all of that if she could have gotten out of it...but no, Mary said yes to God. Mary said "Let it be to me according to Your Word."
Lord, I admit I don't always understand the things You've asked me to do. To be perfectly honest, I don't always like the things You've asked me to do. Some things have really been painful and have caused me deep sorrow and grief. Some have even been embarrassing and have caused me to lose "friends". But I've been learning something from Mary's example. When I accept Your direction for my life and seek Your will first and foremost, "With God, NOTHING will be impossible!". You are always there, going before me, walking beside me, carrying me when necessary...making the rough places smooth and the valleys not so deep or the mountains so steep. Thank You, Lord, for this lesson that we can learn from Mary's experience today. Help me to be ready to always say "Yes" to Your will. Amen.
