Word@Work Luke13 - Luke 1:54-55
Published: Fri, 01/08/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
COVENANT MEMORY
Luke 1:54-55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants for ever, even as he said to our fathers. (NIV)
Mary, like every Jewish child, would have been taught that Messiah would come one day; because God had promised in His Word. We can still trace the trail of prophetic promises all the way from Genesis chapter 1 to Malachi chapter 4 - the whole of the Old Testament bears witness to Jesus. God is the only person who keeps all His promises; and the covenants God has made will all be fulfilled. Genesis 12:2-3 is a covenant promise of blessing to Abraham which would be fulfilled through the Messiah.
However, although there were many Israelites whose belief in the Messiah was more cultural than a part of their relationship with God, Mary believed. She was not a simple and gullible teenager, she was a woman of faith: to her, God's Word (written over the previous two thousand years), demanded to be taken at face value. It was a matter of personal conviction, that God meant what He said and would meet every promise with action. So when the angel Gabriel spoke from God about the incarnation of the Son of God (see Luke 1:28-38), she believed - she had got used to believing God's Word. Faith is not just about inspiration, it is a practised response.
God uses people, like Mary, who take God at His Word. Her understanding of God's covenant promises may not have been theologically exhaustive, but it was devotionally adequate. We do not need to know everything about God, but we need to accept that He knows everything about us. We do not need to know precisely how God will fulfil His promises: it is enough that we believe He will act. The best training in practical faith is to accept His written Word as being authentic, accurate and active, and to believe He will do what He says. The roadmap for followers of Jesus is plain to read. Those who do what He says will receive His grace, and uncover His blessings day by day. Those who refuse to believe will ultimately receive His promised judgement - because that is one of God's covenants. So whatever our calling in life, practise trusting His Word, and encourage others at work and home to do the same.
Prayer: Oh Lord God, who keeps His covenants. Thank You for giving me so many reasons to trust You. Help me to believe that You will keep all Your promises, and forgive me when I have doubted because I could not see how You will act. May my life of faith be an encouragement for others to keep trusting even when they cannot see. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Mary, like every Jewish child, would have been taught that Messiah would come one day; because God had promised in His Word. We can still trace the trail of prophetic promises all the way from Genesis chapter 1 to Malachi chapter 4 - the whole of the Old Testament bears witness to Jesus. God is the only person who keeps all His promises; and the covenants God has made will all be fulfilled. Genesis 12:2-3 is a covenant promise of blessing to Abraham which would be fulfilled through the Messiah.
However, although there were many Israelites whose belief in the Messiah was more cultural than a part of their relationship with God, Mary believed. She was not a simple and gullible teenager, she was a woman of faith: to her, God's Word (written over the previous two thousand years), demanded to be taken at face value. It was a matter of personal conviction, that God meant what He said and would meet every promise with action. So when the angel Gabriel spoke from God about the incarnation of the Son of God (see Luke 1:28-38), she believed - she had got used to believing God's Word. Faith is not just about inspiration, it is a practised response.
God uses people, like Mary, who take God at His Word. Her understanding of God's covenant promises may not have been theologically exhaustive, but it was devotionally adequate. We do not need to know everything about God, but we need to accept that He knows everything about us. We do not need to know precisely how God will fulfil His promises: it is enough that we believe He will act. The best training in practical faith is to accept His written Word as being authentic, accurate and active, and to believe He will do what He says. The roadmap for followers of Jesus is plain to read. Those who do what He says will receive His grace, and uncover His blessings day by day. Those who refuse to believe will ultimately receive His promised judgement - because that is one of God's covenants. So whatever our calling in life, practise trusting His Word, and encourage others at work and home to do the same.
Prayer: Oh Lord God, who keeps His covenants. Thank You for giving me so many reasons to trust You. Help me to believe that You will keep all Your promises, and forgive me when I have doubted because I could not see how You will act. May my life of faith be an encouragement for others to keep trusting even when they cannot see. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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