Disrupted?

The other day I was driving home from work, extremely exhausted. Sometimes I enjoy a ride home; no music, no company and no usual book in my handbag. A quiet moment is a breath of fresh air after a long day at work. And there I saw her. Dressed in a black top, beautifully beaded at the collar and cufflings, the fabric drapping flawlessly. She wore the same with tights with beaded sandals that matched her dashing top. She looked so comfortable   hand gently holding her small bump. 

“What a beautiful stage in a woman’s life when she is carrying a life within her”, I thought to myself.

To consider that the Creator of life growing within her has every detail of the one who is yet unformed or in the process of being formed.

Ooh Christmas is so far! You are allowed to wonder why Pearl is thinking of Christmas in June, six months away and why the sight of an expectant woman elicits such thoughts. At this point, I must confess that December is such a beautiful month. That I start playing Christmas carols the first day of December.

It’s a story sometimes we get to hear only when those jingle bells in town are ringing or the masked Santa clauses in the streets and in supermarkets are all out in red. When the windows of almost every shop in town have been beautifully decorated with the season’s greetings.

Yes, its June and not December, the Christmas month but let’s consider Mary, a young maiden, unmarried but certainly looking forward to her next season in life of her marriage to Joseph. She must have been alone and going about her business and lo and behold; someone appears and shares with her a rather unusual greeting.

“You are highly favoured ”

Before she reconsiders the unusual greeting, he goes on to tell her that she had found favor with God. He shares with her how she will carry a precious gift, a promise and a privilege that she has not earned. She certainly can not explain why she would be chosen to be the bearer. What transpires thereafter is the overshadowing by the Holy Spirit and the Power of God an experience we would not be able to comprehend but thereafter? Mary is with child- and it’s the Son of God she is carrying.

It made me think about how a lot is conceived in our moments of intimacy with God. When we are alone in His presence. As we pour out our love on God, He drops a seed in us. We have probably heard someone say that a lady friend did not even know that she was expecting a child and understandably so. Sometimes, it’s the same with God. It’s in our moments alone with Him that He reveals His mind concerning us. Some. He gets to reveal his vision for us but most importantly about Himself. There is a lot that he has freely given us but we are not able to perceive it in our human minds. It goes beyond what we are able to see, hear or even what our minds have conceived.

Back to Mary though. You see, Mary’s response was equally surprising have wondered how I would have responded. I have plans, am engaged to be married, perhaps I have a career i wish to pursue, a path I have charted out for myself which I trust God to lead and then what? A disruption? One that sounds unbelievable and which will change my entire life? Picture this; pregnant but not married and so chances of being dumped are a hundred percent. How will I face the world? My parents? Joseph? Church? Those who look up to me? What a relief to know she also asked.

“How will it be?”

Isn’t that a typical response when sometimes the Lord speaks to us? We rationalize. Yet Mary’s subsequent reaction response was quite extra ordinary when the angel explained how it would work.

There are those doubtful questions that we ask despite having heard God’s voice. How has God spoken to you in the past? It’s a lot about trusting that voice that we already have become accustomed to. I would imagine Mary was a believer of God. She didn’t seem too shocked but tended to agree with God. This must have been a young woman in sync with God and ready to agree with God.

“Be it unto me according to your word”, She said.

Mary simply believed and agreed with the pronouncement, despite all the limitations in her mind, the clear disruption of her life that such a pronouncement would mean. 

You see the word of God; the seed will bear fruit. It will have to grow. You might have heard the voice of God over an area of your life that seems impossible but it’s your faith that will nurture that promise. Yes, it doesn’t make sense but choose to believe. Feed on the right food to nurture that growing in you. Be careful about who you share it with for not everyone needs to know, at least not yet.

Sometimes you’ll   need to go to a solitary place to consider that which has been spoken. The first three months consist of the most crucial of the stage of pregnancy (at least that’s what i have read). Remember there are certain blessings and answers to prayer that we don’t have to tell others, at least not yet. That there will come a time that it will simply manifest and the whole world gets to see what God has been up to in our lives.

He will confirm again to build your faith.

Do you know that the Lord knows how weak our faith is and finds ways of confirming to us that which He has spoken? Did He not say all He needs to work with is faith no matter the size of a mustard seed? He knows you have wondered if really you heard right or if it was your own wishful thoughts.

So, Mary decides to visit her cousin who she had been advised   was now expecting a child even in her old age. Hear what transpires when she enters the home of Elizabeth and greets her cousin who at this point had no idea that Mary was expecting. I bet there were no phones, emails, real time mode of communicating?

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and she exclaimed in a loud voice,

 “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 

But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

I bet Elizabeth’s utterances went to simply confirm what the Lord had told her and Mary must have smiled in her heart.

Blessed is she who has believed.

What God has been doing in our own private moments of intimate worship in His presence starts to manifest. It’s a bit impossible to fail to notice a woman expecting a child after the third month. In fact, its probably her pretty bump that you will see first. In the same way, the Lord’s promises manifest in the fullness of time. That which he dropped in our spirit as we spent time alone with Him in His presence. As we feed well on His word to feed that seed of faith, the assurance of His promise becomes a reality. It starts being manifested outwardly that we don’t need to announce it to anyone.

One woman called Sarah even laughed at the thought that the Lord would eventually grant her the delayed promise. It has been too long that it’s certainly impossible. It defies all the laws of nature! Yet the one who knew her best, who is not limited by time and rules all nature knew that such was not impossible with him. He further spoke to her “delayed promise”. That at the same time the next year, she would receive the promise.

Could God be asking you to agree with Him and confidently so? That this time next year.

Scripture References: Luke 1,1 Corinthians 2, Genesis 18Article was first published on LSR Christian Magazine 2012.