{"id":36090,"date":"2023-12-24T03:30:37","date_gmt":"2023-12-24T11:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=36090"},"modified":"2023-12-13T12:52:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T20:52:33","slug":"december-24-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2023\/12\/24\/december-24-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"December 24, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mary Didn\u2019t Know<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cO taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”<\/em>\u00a0Psalm 34:8<\/p>\n

A friend shared a song with me a few days ago\u2014”Mary Did You Know”* by Peter Hollens.\u00a0Although I knew the song, I had never heard this rendition. (I share the link below.)\u00a0It’s a beautiful acapella version where he amazingly sings six parts of harmony himself!\u00a0Growing up, I sang in church choir, school choir, and a girls\u2019 trio.\u00a0I love beautiful harmony!\u00a0It touches my soul.\u00a0This song has stuck in my brain, and I find myself singing\/humming it repeatedly\u2014even waking up in the night with it on my mind.\u00a0In doing so, I’ve thought a lot about the lyrics.<\/p>\n

An angel came to Mary about her bearing the Son of God.\u00a0We’ll never know how much she fully understood the implications of that, but she said a resounding “yes” to the Lord. She couldn’t have known He would walk on water, heal the blind and deaf, calm the storm, and give His life for mankind.\u00a0But she said “yes” in an amazing act of faith and obedience.\u00a0I can’t begin to imagine how she felt when she saw her Son crucified.\u00a0She was a courageous woman in saying “yes” in spite of all the unknowns of the future!<\/p>\n

I can’t say what I would have done in her place, but I know I’ve said “yes” to the Lord in many situations throughout my life, certainly not having a clear understanding of the implications of that “yes.”\u00a0Saying “yes” to the Lord involves trusting that He knows what He’s doing and will help us with what is to come.\u00a0He never gives us more than we can bear in response to that “yes.”<\/p>\n

I remember singing these words: “I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountain or plain or sea; I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord; I’ll be what you want me to be.”**\u00a0We sing it so easily in a moment of commitment in a church service\u2014and then we’re surprised when something difficult comes up in response to that commitment.<\/p>\n

I don’t fully understand, but I know that the recent years in Floyd’s life and mine have something to do with things we’ve said “yes” to. I probably won’t fully understand until eternity. I guess I could be asked, “Sally, did you know?” I didn’t! But God knew, and He has walked faithfully by my side in everything.\u00a0 I couldn’t ask for anything more\u2014and, seeing His faithfulness, I know I can face whatever is still ahead.<\/p>\n

Mary didn’t know what was ahead. Floyd didn’t know. I didn’t know and still don’t know.\u00a0 But God knows!\u00a0And He will be with us every minute of every hour of every day in whatever comes our way! What a wonderful God!<\/p>\n

Jesus, we celebrate the day of Your birth with joy. We are ever thankful that You know what is ahead in our lives, and You will prepare us for the day it is revealed to us. May we say \u201cyes\u201d to You without hesitation. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>* \u201cMary Did You Know\u201d, Buddy Greene | Mark Lowry, 1991, 1993 Rufus Music; Curb Word Music<\/h6>\n
** \u201c<\/em>Go Where You Want Me to Go\u201d, public domain<\/h6>\n<\/div>
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