Is anything in your life too hard for our Lord’s hand? Everything and everyone around us seems to be in the middle of drama, either just in or just out of. Pride and arrogance seem to be the norm. I was reminded of a story that Moses recorded in the eleventh chapter of Genesis where pride and arrogance brought about a worldwide event that has affected us to this day.

After the great flood, God gave instructions to Noah, his sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and their wives that they were to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Genesis 9:1 God repeated this a second time. Then in verses 12-17, He gives this covenant; “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember My covenant that is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh. God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.’”

One of those descendants, Nimrod, migrated east to the land of Shinar which means “country of two rivers.” Those two rivers were the Tigris and the Euphrates which flow through modern-day Iraq. His father was Cush whose father was Ham whose father was Noah who was still alive at the time. Noah lived to be 950 years old and was 600 years old at the time of the flood. Just to give you an idea of the amount of time that elapsed between the flood and the tower of Babel.Nimrod, known as a mighty man, led the people to be a powerful and successful nation of thousands. He wanted a symbol or monument to himself and his accomplishments; one that could be seen by all. So, he proposed that the people build a tower that could be seen from a long distance. It would be a tower to the heavens so the gods could come down and the people could go up to the gods. This tower was made with bricks dried with fire and a mortar described as asphalt which took over 100 years to build.

Moses wrote this story in Genesis, chapter eleven and it describes them as a people that had become prideful and arrogant. They didn’t need God; they had become the powerful nation of Babylonians.

Josephus, a writer of ancient history, stated this about Nimrod: “He also said he would be revenged on God if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that, he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers.” (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 4)

“And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So, the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:5-9

Interestingly the Hebrew word for Babel or Babylon is Balal which means to mix, mingle, confuse, confound. The very meaning of the name given to the Tower of Babel was appropriate because God confused the builders’ language so they couldn’t understand each other.

The Lord had given Noah’s family the responsibility of replenishing the earth. Nimrod, only three generations from the great flood had abandoned the salvation of the Lord and the one and only true God who spoke directly to his great-grandfather. He was now building a monument to himself, staying in one place and building an empire dedicated to themselves and their selfish and prideful arrogance.

I was amused that Nimrod and his officials thought they could outsmart God with a tower high enough to prevent them from dying in a flood caused by God. I was equally amazed that they didn’t believe God when He said He would never destroy the earth by a flood again. But then I am often caught off guard myself when I go to God in prayer with answers to problems instead of saying to God, “Your will, Your way.” What? Am I smarter than God? Oh, may I always be reminded of the power of the Almighty God and His love for me. I hope this story has reminded you of what an awesome God, creator of man, and will help you realize God has a plan and purpose in store for you.
These two scriptures help me put things in perspective when everything around me is chaos. May they be an encouragement to you today.

Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.”

The Apostle Paul was under Roman imprisonment during the time that he wrote this letter to those believers of “the Way” at Ephesus. This was a highly civilized port city with the acceptance of many cultures and gods. Not long after this letter was circulated, Emperor Nero came into reign and began heavily persecuting those who called themselves Christians.

Today, we are living in an environment of acceptance unless you claim to be a Christian. Then our values as Christ-followers are challenged. We are in need of strength and courage from God’s Word to stay the course. May these words in Ephesians give you that security.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there!

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold of me.

If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about be night,’

even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is bright as the day,

and the darkness is as light with You.

For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You when I was being made in secret,

and intimately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance,

and in Your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with You.

Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God, men of blood, depart from me!

They speak against You with malicious intent; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with complete hatred.

I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalms 139 ESV

          Several months after my husband went to be with the Lord at the age of forty-nine, I wrestled with the decision of what to do about the non-profit organization which we had founded twelve years earlier. Through much prayer, Bible study, listening to great sermons, and a burning desire to know God’s will, I decided to stay with the work which was to assist pastors and leaders in small membership churches as well as continuing the campground ministry which was available for conferences, camps, and retreats.
          That decision came as I pursued an answer from God in my daily devotion time. I obtained a job with an employment agency and on Saturdays, I would go to the campground, which was where our house was, to pack all of my personal belongings as well as the camp office and my husband’s office. The board had decided close the organization, sell the campground, and auction everything.
          One Sunday morning, during the time of all of this, my pastor preached a sermon on: “Defeating Discouragement from Overwhelming Tasks.” Using Joshua 1:1-11 as his text, he began to talk about the overwhelming task that had been placed on Joshua’s shoulders by God after the leader of the nation of Israel, Moses, had died. God had given him the responsibility to lead Israel to conquer the new territory. The original Hebrews that had been in bondage to Egypt had died in the forty years of wilderness wonderings except for Caleb and Joshua. God had appointed Joshua to lead a second-generation nation of untrained, unskilled people who also lacked a vision for the task at hand. Certainly, if anyone had a right to be discouraged it was Joshua.

“It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.”

Hosea 13:5-6

Oh God forgive me! I realized I was looking within myself to provide for my needs and the needs of the organization. I couldn’t figure out how to work a secular job to provide for myself and also take on the responsibility of the ministry. No wonder I lacked the courage to act on that burden.
With a new perspective, the Holy Spirit brought to my memory the many times I had stepped out in faith, trusting God, and how faithfully He had provided. I also remembered this scripture in Matthew.

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. For this reason, I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil, nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or,’ What shall we drink?’ or, ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?” For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:24-34

Now it was time to commit to the Lord and trust Him for direction, sustenance, and timing. I made the commitment to God that I had heard what He was saying to me. I made a covenant with God to follow through with talking to my boss at the employment office. In my conversation with her, I wanted to ask if she would allow me to continue working part-time as I began to get the ministry active again.
On the way to work that day, I stopped by the post office to check the box for the organization. There was only one piece of mail in this commercial box and it was addressed to me. It was a note from a lady who had been a counselor with one of the first mission teams to come to the campground. Her note expressed sympathy at my loss and then she added an encouraging word. She said she knew enough about me to know that I would give my adverse situation to the Lord and He would turn it to my good. She also let me know that every one of the youths who had come to camp that year had made life-changing decisions. That wasn’t all, she included a check for five hundred dollars made out to me personally.
Right there in the post office, I began to cry as I read the note and saw the check because to me it was an indication from the Lord that I was going in the right direction. That indeed He was my provider and already had the answer to my prayer in the mailbox before I asked. I followed through with the commitment I had made to Him earlier that day, by talking to my boss that very morning. She was kind to receive what I said and allowed me to continue working there as I began to find office space and gradually get the organization back into operation.
It was a blessing to see the campground and the ministry continue for twenty more years. The organization has dissolved now, but the campground facility dedicated to serving God’s purpose is continuing as a ministry outreach.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

On Sunday, after spending time in Jericho with Zacchaeus and those that came to his house, Jesus and His disciples traveled toward Jerusalem as far as the Mount of Olives. He then told two of His disciples to go to the nearby village and when they entered they would find a colt that had never been ridden and bring it to Him. If anyone asks why you are taking the colt, He said to tell them that the Lord has need of it.

When they brought the colt to Jesus, they put their garments on the colt and set Jesus on it. As the colt moved forward, they began to lay their garments on the ground before them. Coming down from the mount, multitudes of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. They were waving palm branches and yelling: “Saying, Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” Luke 19:38

About 500 years before this event, Zechariah the prophet foretold the happening: Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd asked Jesus to tell His disciples to stop. They were afraid they would stir up the crowd to riot. Jesus answered them, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Luke 19:40 Then Luke records that the Lord wept as He entered Jerusalem for He saw that soon the enemies would tear it all down and no stone would be left.

On Monday, He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling birds and animals for the sacrifices of sin and exchanging different types of money. It wasn’t the selling that was the problem, it was the dishonesty that existed in the sales and the money exchange.“My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” Luke 19: 46

On Tuesday, the Lord and disciples returned to Jerusalem and He was teaching daily in the temple while the chief priests and scribes were trying to find a reason to destroy Him, but they did not find anything they could do because the people were hanging onto all of the words that He spoke.

As He spoke to the crowds, Matthew recorded this: Matthew 23:24-33 “Blind guides!... For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness…Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?”

The scribes and chief priests were afraid that the people would come after them if they perceived His parable was about them. So, they watched Jesus and sent out spies to see if they could catch Him doing something they could turn over to the courts. By the way, it was on this day that Judas Iscariot agreed with the Sanhedrin, the rabbinical court of Israel, to betray Jesus. Matthew 26:14-16

Finally, the Pharisees, the scribes, and the elders came to him and asked Him by what authority do you speak these things, and who gave you that authority? Jesus answered them with a question: “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?

Now, they got their heads together and decided that if they said heaven, then He would ask them why they didn’t believe him, and if they said man, then the people would stone them because the people believed John’s message. So, they said they didn’t know. Jesus answered them back: “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

On Wednesday, we do not have specifics only that He may have rested in Bethany probably at the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha getting ready for Passover the next day.

On Thursday, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet in preparation to share in the Passover. This act was a humble example of how His followers should love one another. Then the Lord served the Passover meal or the Last Supper to His disciples.

Luke 22:15,16 “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 22:19-20 “And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

After the meal, Jesus and the disciples left the Upper Room and went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in anguish to God the Father. Luke 22:44 “And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

It was that night in Gethsemane, that Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested by the Sanhedrin. He was taken to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest where the full council was assembled to make their claim against Jesus.

On Friday, early that morning Peter denied Jesus three times. Also, it was Friday morning when Judas hanged himself for what he had done.

Before Christ was hung on the cross, He was mocked and made fun of as the “King of the Jews” and they placed the crown of thorns on His head and made Him carry His cross through the streets of Jerusalem and up to Golgotha, or the Mount of Skulls. He was beaten beyond recognition and bruised and spit upon and mocked, yet he was silent. Christ was nailed on a cross between two thieves. One of the thieves believed that Christ was who He claimed to be: The Son of God. Because of that, Jesus told him that he would be in paradise with Him that very night.

“Woman behold thy son! Behold thy mother! John 19:26-27

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Mark 14:34

“I thirst.” John 19:28

“It is finished.” John 19:30

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Luke 23:46

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Jesus drew His last breath at the ninth hour (3 p.m.) and at 6 p.m. He was taken down and placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

“Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.” John 19:39-40 Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin court that had denounced Jesus to death. They were afraid to come out publicly to declare their belief in Jesus but cared for Him after He died.

I do not want to leave the Holy Week with Jesus in the tomb because a glorious event takes place on the first day of the week. Without this day of resurrection, there would be no hope. The Bible from Genesis to Revelations tells of the coming of a Savior who will crush the head of satan and give eternal life to those who believe in Him. He took upon Himself the sins of all the people, past, present, and future. It was the sacrifice that was acceptable to God for the remission of our sins.

When He arose on Sunday morning, the first day of the week, the work was finished: atonement, redemption, reconciliation, and salvation.

When Mary Magdalene and another Mary came to the tomb that morning, they found it empty. The stone had been rolled away and an angel of the Lord told them not to be afraid because Jesus had risen. As the women left to tell the disciples, Jesus met them on the road.

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests’ everything that had happened. When the chief priest had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, ‘You are to say His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.”  Matthew 28; 10-13

When they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but one known as Thomas doubted and needed to see the nail-scarred hands.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

The Lord gives the orders to Joshua for the conquest of Jericho. Two spies are sent into the city to check it out. While there, the spies are hidden in place in the city wall occupied by Rahab, a prostitute.

God uses ordinary people to do spectacular things and Rahab was no exception. She hid the spies because she had heard of the miracles their God had performed on behalf of His people: He brought them out of 430 years in slavery to Egypt, took them (approximately two million) across the Red Sea on dry land, and had been on their side as they won several battles. These are the ones she had heard about.

Hiding them on the roof where she was drying flax seed, she told them that at nighttime to go the mountains and stay for three days before returning to their people. In exchange, she asked that when they conquered Jericho they save her and her family because she believed in God and His people. They told her that when she saw the Israelites coming to drop a scarlet rope from her window and to place her family inside her room.

Now, this must have been quite a sight as these numbers are extraordinary. It is estimated that there were around 40,000 armed warriors, and 600,00 men, and that number does not include the women and children as well as armed men before the seven priests carrying seven ram horn trumpets and the ark of the covenant. Instructions to Joshua were that on the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times and then give a blast on the ram horns and at Joshua’s signal the people were to shout and the wall was to fall down flat.

God’s grace and mercy were extended to Rahab and her family. The scarlet rope was representative of God’s salvation and provisions of the promised coming Messiah whose blood sacrificed would be for the sins of all who believe. If Rahab had not obeyed the spies based on her belief that they were from God and thrown out the scarlet rope, her family would have perished. But she obeyed. You can read the story in the book of Joshua chapter two.

I thought you would find it interesting to know the genealogy recorded in the book of Matthew shows Rahab as the great-great-grandmother of King David and therefore in the lineage of Jesus. Do you remember the Bible story about Ruth who married Boaz? Well, Rahab was the mother of Boaz. The writer of Hebrews mentions the faith of Rahab. (Hebrews 11:31) In fact, she is mentioned over ten times in the Bible.

When God is a part of our lives, great things are accomplished for His kingdom. We never know how God will use us for spectacular things through our obedience to Him.

In the book of Matthew, you will find a story recorded about two blind men that came to Jesus for healing. This was not so uncommon at that time because Jesus was performing a lot of miracles and healing. As they followed the crowds and heard the message with their ears, they knew enough to know in their heart that this man Jesus had the ability to heal them.

This belief was confirmed in the story because they called him first, Lord then they followed that up with the Son of David. This indicated that they recognized Him as the promised Messiah.

We are not given very much information about these two men other than they too were on the road going from Jericho to Jerusalem. This is just before His triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey and many crowds of people were following Him everywhere He went because He was healing and proclaiming the message about the Kingdom of God.

They were persistent. They asked twice for Jesus to have mercy on them and then again in order to answer the question that Jesus asked them. Three times they spoke to Jesus each time they put Lord first. They knew exactly what they wanted from Jesus and when He asked them, they said they wanted their eyes opened. The Bible says Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, healed them and they followed him. Matt 20-:29-34

The Bible doesn’t record that they went home to get belongings or tell the family the good news or that they had an agenda of things to do before they could follow the Lord. They recognized who could provide for their needs, they accepted that He was who He claimed to be, the son of David, the promised Messiah. They went to the only source, and they trusted that source for their needs. Not only immediate needs but future needs.

What hinders you from having “blind faith” as these two men? We see, but many times our faith is so weak that we do not trust our problem in the hands of a loving and caring heavenly Father.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:25-33

Did you know Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and of the lineage of King David 700 years prior to the birth of Jesus? This is the message from the book of Isaiah.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:4-7

This child would be of the lineage of King David, of which Joseph was of the lineage of David. In fact, in the book of Matthew, you will find the complete ancestry from Abraham forward. The book of Luke traces his lineage through King David all the way back to Adam. The child would also be born of a virgin, and they would call the baby Immanuel which is also a name for Jesus, and it means “God with us.”

Fast forward to the New Testament and you find the first appearance of a virgin whose name was Mary. She is first introduced to us with the appearance of Gabriel, the archangel. At this time, Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, which would have been arranged by the families. According to Jewish tradition, the betrothal or engagement would have been legally binding. Whenever the wedding took place then the young virgin would go to the home of the husband’s family

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end. And Mary said to the angel,’ How can this be since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38

We don’t know where Mary was when he appeared or how she knew he was an angel. It seemed apparent that Mary knew Jewish traditions and scriptures, she must have been spiritual because she was trying to understand and discern what sort of message the angel was giving to her. She responded to all of this with an answer that seemed mature in that whatever was God’s will that was the direction she wanted to go. She obeyed God. Was she surprised about the information of a coming Messiah? No, she was brought up in a Jewish home, that was their hope. What she was surprised at was that God had chosen her.

Once the angel left and she began to put it all together, can you just imagine how excited she would be to run to her cousin Elizabeth’s house to hear the experience that the angel Gabriel had told her about. That the one who was called barren would now bear a child also. This must have confirmed to Mary that she wasn’t in a dream, that this was real. Who else could she tell? This wasn’t any ordinary situation where you would be running to friends. Can you imagine the apprehension she might have had at the prospect of telling Joseph? What would he think of her? Was she mad? Had she been with another man? How would they tell the families?

In the book of Matthew, we find information about Joseph, his thoughts, and the angel’s appearance to him.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel.’ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” Matthew 1: 1-25

Joseph contemplated divorcing Mary even though the marriage had not taken place, legally they were bound together at the betrothal. Jewish law gave him the right to put her away.

“When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house.” Deuteronomy 24:1

But Joseph chose to take her as his wife. He believed and obeyed the angel as he followed the instructions the angel gave him.

Then we know that they were to go to Bethlehem because a census was being taken and taxes were to be collected by the Roman government and because Joseph was of the house of David he had to travel to that city. While they were there, Mary gave birth in a lowly stable where animals were and only the straw for the baby to rest. What is interesting is that the angels and messengers of God appeared to shepherds in the field and not to the king, high priest, rabbis, Pharisees, or Sanhedrin. It was a spectacular appearance of heavenly hosts to tell them of the Savior’s birth. When the shepherds found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, they began to tell them of the sky filled with the appearance of angels and the good news they brought of a Savior. Luke records that Mary treasured up all these things and pondered this in her heart. Another affirmation is that this baby was the Messiah that had been prophesied in Isaiah.

The next incident is Mary and Joseph bringing baby Jesus to Jerusalem as he was circumcised the eighth day according to Jewish laws and was presented to the Lord in the temple where a sacrifice was offered on his behalf. There in the temple was a man named Simeon that through the Holy Spirit recognized that this was indeed The Son of God: “a light to the Gentiles and a glory to Israel.” Once again this was an affirmation to Mary and Joseph of the Messiah’s birth and his purpose.

Not long after that, Joseph was approached by an angel and told to flee with his family to Egypt because King Herod had heard from the wise men that a king had been born. Herod surmised that the boy must be about two years or under based on what the wise men had said and so he made a decree to kill all the baby boys under the age of two. Joseph obeyed the angel and took his family to Egypt. There they stayed until after Herod died and then returned to the city of Nazareth.

Nothing else is told about Mary and Joseph until Jesus was twelve and they had gone to Jerusalem to observe the annual feast of the Passover. As they traveled back toward Nazareth (about a six-day journey) with family and acquaintances, Jesus was missing. They traveled a day’s journey back to Jerusalem and finally on the third day they found him in the temple among the teachers listening and asking questions. It is recorded that the teachers were amazed at his understanding and His answers. Luke 2:41-52

We are not told any more about Joseph after this story and have to assume that he died sometime between this incident (Jesus is twelve) and the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee (Jesus was about thirty).

Mary, was in attendance at the wedding feast as well as Jesus and a few men that were following him after his baptism by John the Baptist. It is supposed that the wedding party might have been relatives because she cared that the wedding party had run out of the wine normally served. She related this to Jesus. He scolded her as he was just starting the ministry and was not there to show off. I think that the request should not have come through her on behalf of the family. Symbolic maybe for the fact that we as children of the Most High God can go directly to Him through Jesus Christ and we don’t need a priest or Mary. What was the reason He came to earth? You can read more about that in John 2:1-12. Nevertheless, He did provide. It may have been an opportunity for the disciples following Him to confirm who He was to them and also as it was at the beginning of the ministry where He would heal the sick and afflicted.

Since our thoughts are about Mary and Joseph, I will continue with several other instances in which Mary was mentioned. John 2:12 states that Jesus, his mother and brothers and His disciples traveled to Capernaum and stayed there a few days. This is the beginning of his ministry and Mary was there. She was at one of his first gatherings where the twelve disciples were chosen. She was at the cross (John 19:25), She was with the group of believers praying in the upper room after the Ascension of Christ. (Acts 1:12) After this, we are not told anything else about Mary.

I leave you with these two thoughts:

God takes ordinary people who are willing to obey and does spectacular things,

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Recently, I was privileged to sit on a balcony which enabled me to see the sunrise in the morning and also the sunset each night. I drank in the beauty as I marveled at God’s beautiful hand stretched across the sky.
I felt blessed to be a His child. Many memories and many scriptures came to my mind as I gazed into the sky. It was a true time of once again aligning myself with the Creator, Savior, Provider, Sustainer, Director, and My Loving Father.
Like others around me, I see pavement, man-made buildings, businesses, traffic, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life and it takes real courage to shut it all out and concentrate on the Lord and His plan and purpose. Sorting through what is important and Godly and what is instigated by satan.
Memorized scriptures, framed scriptures on my wall, or reading the Bible are a big part in helping me refocus, but the spectacular views of His new day just make me feel like I am the only important person that He is presenting for my eyes, and my heart, and my soul.

For those who are lonely, sad, or in trouble this verse in Malachi 1:11 will give you peace:
“For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but JOY comes with the morning.”
For those who need some wow factor in their life, look at this scripture in Psalm 65:8:
“So that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”
For those who are facing illness or death, look at what Luke has written:
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3
For those who need to worship the Lord, look at these verses for guidance: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!” Psalm 113:3
For those of you who might not really know who God is, ponder this:
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place?” Job 38:12
“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” Genesis 1:5
“He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is His name.” Amos 5:8
For those who have chosen to follow Jesus, you will be blessed by this scripture: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:43
“Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.” Ecclesiastes 11:7
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” Proverbs 4:18
“And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:5
My hope and my prayer is that as you read these words and look at the sunrise picture, God will use them to encourage you today! May God bless you.