Daily Devotional for Tuesday 12th December
The birth of Jesus foretold
Today’s devotional is one in which we are probably all very familiar.
Mary receives a visit from the angel Gabriel in which she is told of the glorious news and honour that God has chosen her to carry and give birth to Jesus! Gabriel appeared with a message from God to both Mary and Zechariah (in verse 18) and each time, they were extremely important messages.
It is worth noting that Mary was in a very vulnerable position. She was young and due to be married. For her to have a child without a husband would be dangerous. We see throughout Jesus’ later life when he is teaching that he chooses the people you would least expect to follow him, and God is doing the same thing here. Even though Mary is scared, her submission to God is extremely brave and shows us how faithful she was.
We as Christians forget sometimes how to show full faithfulness to God, thinking we can do things on our own. We must remember that God wants to be active within our lives and wants us to lean on Him at all times. He will never fail us, just like he didn’t fail Mary.
The angel Gabriel is also very clear on the name of Jesus. We saw yesterday how the prophecy states the baby would be called Immanuel meaning “God with us.” The name Jesus means “the Lord saves.” Names had a very strong hold at the time, and people would’ve known and understood what Jesus’ name would symbolise.
We know that this was a very important task for Mary, but let’s not forget that Joseph is a descendant of David. In 2 Samuel, we find that God promised David that his kingdom would last forever. Now with Mary set to marry Joseph and giving birth to Jesus, Jesus’ kingdom will never end. God didn’t choose Mary and Joseph for this task at random – God knows our plans for life before we are even born, He has plans for each and every one of us, even if we don’t know them or understand them.
Time to reflect…
1. Re-read these passages and imagine what Mary must’ve felt when she was visited by the angel Gabriel. The range of emotions would be broad and diverse. How would you react if that was you?
2. As mentioned before, we tend to forget to uphold the relationship with Him and show our full commitment to Him. What can we do in our lives to remember to put Him first?
Pause to pray…
Lord, as we get ever closer to Christmas and remember the wonderful story of Jesus’ birth, we want to give thanks for everything you do for us. Even though the future of our lives is uncertain, we thank you and praise you in the knowledge that You know what our lives entail.
Thank you for showing us that You choose people just like us, who aren’t perfect to fulfil Your wishes.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
