Mary responded, I am the Lords servant. May everything you have said about me come true. And then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 (NLT) Lord, Im not sure I can take one more rejection. No. No. No. Every email I received said the same thing, using different words. We dont publish that type of book. We dont publish writers we dont know. We wont publish you. Letting each rejection seep into my heart, many days I crawled into bed and cried. Why would God ask me to do something good, yet allow a process that made me feel so bad? But then I remembered Mary, who was much wiser than I. Her story is found in the Bible. Instead of building her confidence on something she could lose, or have taken away, she built her confidence on God. Picture this teenager. Shes engaged to a great guy. Wedding plans are in motion. Life is good. Then suddenly, her happily-ever-after dreams are interrupted by an angel announcing this surprise: Good morning! Youre beautiful with Gods beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you (Luke 1:28, MSG). Flattered? Nope. She was scared! However, the angel assures her, You have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus (v. 29-33). My reaction would have been, What? Pregnant? Im not married yet! Theres no way! But when Mary received this news, we dont see fear or doubt. Her response isnt, This will be the end of me! What will everyone say about me? Mary doesnt ditch her confidence. Instead, as we find in todays key verse, her reaction is grounded in faith: I am the Lords servant. May everything you have said about me come true (Luke 1:38a). Mary responded with confidence because Marys confidence began with her relationship with God. Not on something, like her reputation. That was outside her control. Not on someone, like Joseph. For all she knew, he would leave her once he learned she was pregnant. Not on some place, like her home. Mary actually left town to visit her cousin after she received this news. Did Mary understand everything God was doing? Unlikely. Or resent what He was doing? Doesnt appear so. Would others judge her? No doubt they would, but Mary did not allow peoples opinions to prevent her from embracing Gods calling, even if she didnt completely understand it. The lack of details didnt impact her confidence in His plans for her life, nor her trust in Him to take care of her. There have been times when Ive based my confidence on others. As a teenager, I based it on a boyfriends affection, a coachs affirmation or my parents approval. If one of them failed to give the Atta girl! I craved, I saw myself as a failure. As a mom, Ive built it on my kids and their performance. When they made a mistake, my confidence was shaken. Ive based my security on my career and the success I wanted. Success hasnt always come, although rejection often has. Has there been a time when circumstances were less than perfect and your confidence was shaken? Im learning that unshakable confidence is not built on someone, something or someplace, but on our unshakable God. This confidence is built over time, before confidence-shaking circumstances come. In the difficult times, God has taught me He alone is my firm foundation for rebuilding confidence. Only Him. As we face inevitable uncertainties in life, in our relationships, in our futures, lets start to rebuild our confidence on the One that can never be taken away: God. The only One who will never leave us or forsake us. Lord, its easier to build my confidence on what I can see and what I know. Help me to build my confidence on You. In Jesus Name, Amen. TRUTH FOR TODAY: Hebrews 10:35-36, So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (NIV)
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 13:49:13 +0000
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