December 23 Advent Devotion Written by Laura Levens

Trisha Huffman | December 23, 2015

“My soul magnifies the Lord … He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

                                                                                                            —Luke 1:47a, 54-55

Many people have asked me if I, as a pregnant woman, empathize more with Mary this Christmas. My answer is always, “yes and no.” I do feel baby kicks and stretching pains, and I feel I understand Mary’s expectation of bringing a new life into this wide world of wonder, beauty, joy and also pain, violence, and risk. But as a stable, married person with a job and a house, I do not experience the social isolation and instability Mary underwent as an unwed, betrothed mother. Mary’s waiting and my waiting are different because of our circumstances, but we both wait before the Lord for new life.

Perhaps you are waiting for God in your circumstance; Mary can be your companion during this Advent season. She has much to teach us about waiting in hope.

What amazes me about Mary is her faith in God’s promises, even before the Christ child is born. Mary knows her history—she knows the ups and downs of Israel’s journey with God, Israel’s struggle of poverty and oppression under foreign rulers, and the fragile circumstance Israel was under during Roman rule. In her song to the Lord, Mary faces the great temptation to give in to fear and despair, and does not give in. She chooses the side of her Savior, the God of Israel who is mighty, merciful, scattering the proud, overturning the powerful, filling the hungry, and fulfilling the promise to Abraham. She is ready to sing of God’s great mercy and love before she experiences it for herself.

In seasons of waiting, fear and uncertainty are normal. It is what we do when we encounter fear and uncertainty that counts. May we face our uncertain times, and not give in to worry, fear, and despair during our time of waiting. May we follow Mary’s lead and choose the side of our Savior and believe in God’s promises of mercy and love. Christ is coming.

Prayer: God our Savior, we wait for you to come. We want to hope, and so we hand over our fears to you. We want to sing, and so we hand over our uncertainty to you. Please show us your promises of mercy and love. Please walk with us as we wait, and help us to be companions together in waiting. Please give us strength to wait like Mary, in faith that Christ will come. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.