I'll try to keep this short, but I can't make any promises. There are a lot of days God lays something on my heart, and I end up preaching a sermon to myself. Today that happened on the way to work, and I felt very compelled to share, so here goes ....
I've shared before on this blog that my husband Justin and I are trying to have a baby. We've actually been trying for almost three years now. I never dreamed it would be this hard; I never imagined I would have three miscarriages, either. Growing up, I always just assumed that when my husband and I decided we wanted kids, it would just happen. And while it does for a lot of people (including a lot of people I know), that has not been our path. I have struggled with this in many ways, trying to figure out why this hasn't happened for us. I still don't have the answers, but there is a large part of me that feels it's happening so I can use my story as a testimony to encourage others. It doesn't matter what things look like on the outside, God is faithful. He answers prayer, so technically, I know how this story is going to end - with me holding my baby boys (and tears rolling down my face).
Here's where the sermon started on the way to work. I think about my boys constantly; they're not even here yet, but they are always on my mind. So, I was thinking about them and listening to Christmas music, which got me thinking about Baby Jesus. The reason some Jews didn't accept Jesus when he was born was due in large part to the fact that they didn't think God would send a baby to save the world. They believed God would send someone to help them basically take over their enemies (at least that's what I've been told). Because God didn't do things the way they expected, they missed out. I don't want to do that, so I've been praying a lot lately that God would show me what to do. We've considered adoption - if that's how God is going to give me my babies, I don't want to miss out. Anyway, back to Mary and Baby Jesus.
Think about it - how crazy, to the natural mind, does it sound for a virgin to have a baby. And for that baby to be the Son of God. And for that baby to grow up to perform miracles, die on a cross and rise from the dead. But because we've read the bible, we don't think the birth of Jesus sounds strange at all. We just think "Of course God would send a baby. Why would anyone question that?" But really stop and think about it. What if Mary had been your neighbor? Pretend you hadn't read the bible; you didn't know how this all turned out. How strange does all this sound?
You could apply this throughout the bible. Abraham and Sarah, 75 and 65 respectively, are told they're going to have a baby. Sarah tells Abraham to sleep with his maid to give them a baby (because all too often we think we need to kind of help God out with our own plans). We all agree it's dumb and think, "Come on Sarah and Abraham, just be patient; Isaac is coming." They didn't know that. They couldn't pop open the bible and see that when Sarah was 90 she would give birth. I can't imagine how she must have felt. I'm 32 and feel old because I haven't had a baby yet - and Sarah was supposed to just be patient for 25 years and simply believe?!?!
Joshua didn't know the walls of Jericho would fall; Daniel didn't know the mouths of the lions would be shut. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego didn't know they would come out not even smelling like smoke or that Jesus would be joining them in the fire. Jonah didn't know he was getting out of that whale's belly. We look at these great men and women of God and think it was easy for them to believe, but that's because we know how the story ends. It's harder for us to believe because we don't have our story in front of us to see how or when it ends.
But as I was thinking all this, God reminded me, we do know how it ends. Hebrews 10:23 - "Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, FOR GOD CAN BE TRUSTED TO KEEP HIS PROMISE." Hebrews 13:8 tells us Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. That means if he has done something once, he'll do it again because he does not change!!. We may not know exactly how he's going to answer our prayers, but we know he's going to answer. And we have the blessing of the bible to encourage us, telling us that he gives us the desires or our hearts and if we ask we will receive.
I know this has gotten long, but this really encouraged me today. I also really hope my train of thought makes sense. I hope I was able to put into words what God put in my heart. Whatever you're going through, God knows about. He hears you every time you pray; so just keep believing - you know how the story is going to end.
This blog is based on Psalm 139:13-16:
"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of
the womb.
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."
You were created for a purpose, and God made you exactly the way you are on purpose! You truly were created to be fabulous!
