We know that all of Israel was waiting for the Messiah to come. There was hope and an expectation that when He finally came they would be set free from Roman rule and have their own Kingdom again. We know that even the Samaritan Woman knew about Him and was waiting for the Messiah to show up. (John 4:25)

I know that I have put my own expectations on how God was going to move in our lives. What that would look like and how we would serve Him. Spoiler Alert: never happened that way.

Just for a minute let’s look at it through a wide-lens:
* They were expecting a King. So that implies royalty, status, a kingly home with kingly things and servants.
What they got was a baby born in the smallest town in a dingy cave with animals eating and pooping.

* They were expecting a royal annoucement with lots of fan-fare, because that’s what Kings did.
What they got was some Shepherds, the lowest job there was, being told first and asked to share the Good News.
I don’t think they felt qualified or that anyone would listen. I also think after they saw Jesus and the promise fulfilled they didn’t care.

* They were expecting a queen to give birth surrounded by handmaidens to help.
What they got was a young girl with only her fiancee to help her (and the stinky animals).

God, in His upside down Kingdom, does not do things the way we think it should be done. He sees things differently and asks us to look at things the way He does:
* He asks us to respond in the opposite spirit: where there is hate, we are called to love.
* Where there is a wrong or hurt done to us, we are called to forgive.
* In order to be great in His Kingdom, we are to serve.

So it stands to reason that God would ask us to trust Him without knowing all the details. We are to trust when we have no idea what it’s going to look like, where we might be going or what others will think. We know everyone has an opinion and we want to be understood and liked.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary with all of that. She was faithful in her Jewish faith. She believed what she has been taught and heard about her whole life. She was engaged to be married and was probably planning how she would decorate her home, the names of her kids and sharing traditions with her family.

What God asked her to do, get pregnant and give birth to the Messiah, was a huge honor and I’m sure she felt the weight of that. AND she also knew the implications of what that could mean for her. The judgments, the misunderstanding, the rejection. Would her family turn their back on her? Would Joseph understand and still want to marry her? Who was she to do such a thing? You know that a million thoughts ran through her mind as she stood there and listened to the Angel.

“‘I am the Lord’s servant’, Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.”
Luke 1:38

In that moment, she trusted! She trusted the God she heard about her whole life. Without any promise of how she would be treated, there was no outline or plan of what the next couple of months looked like. She, like Abram, was setting out into unknown territory. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’” Genesis 12:1 (Italics mine)

Are you as challenged by Mary’s faith and trust as I am?
Things rarely look like we want them too. Life has taken us on a wild roller coaster ride the past few years, with lots of twists and turns and hanging upside down.

Where is our faith placed? What are we trusting God for? What is the crazy thing He is asking? What is crazy for me may be your normal Tuesday and what I am asked to do may freak you out. That’s another really good reason to not compare journeys. God is personal and precise in each of our lives. Stay in your lane and run your race. (That was a bit of a bunny trail.)

OK, back to trust. Trust says that, like the Shepherds, I may not be popular but I will proclaim the Good News of Jesus. Trust says that, like Mary, I might be misunderstood but I will say “Yes” to God. Trust says that, like all of Israel, it doesn’t look like we thought it would but we will adjust our expectations to line up with God. They could not deny His power to set them free, not from Roman rule but free from their sin.

Can we trust God that He can see a deeper need in us than what we think we need? Can we trust that He has a wide-lens view of what He’s doing?

God is looking for faithful over popular. He is looking for humility over a platform. May God find in us what He saw in the Shepherds and in Mary.

The impact of their saying ‘yes’ is still felt today. What impact would our saying ‘yes’ be?

May you have a wonderful day!
All My Love ~
Jodi xoxo

If you would like to get the blog in your email, you can subscribe below. xo