“He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.“
Luke 1:54-55

–

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Who do you trust when faced with a difficult situation? I admit that I do not trust easily. Ask anyone who knows me well, and they will tell you that I am a cautious person. The number of people I feel confident relying on for important things is small. The issue is not that I don’t know many trustworthy people, but that I am uncertain how they might handle certain situations.

For instance, as an overly anxious new mother, I was only comfortable with my husband and I leaving our daughter with my mom. Why? Because I knew I could trust her. Not only has she been a great mom to me, but I’ve seen how capable she is at taking care of the little ones who attended her daycare over the years. I felt confident trusting her with my daughter because I knew who she was and what she was capable of.

In Luke 1, we see Mary’s world turned upside down when the angel Gabriel tells her that God chose her to give birth to His son. The prospect of being an unwed mother in that culture was a shameful one. This young teenage girl knew it was likely she would lose her betrothed, her good standing in the community, and even her friends. But she responded with humility and faith and went on to sing a beautiful song of praise to God.

Why would she do that? Because she knows God is trustworthy. She knows He is faithful and has the power to accomplish all He says He will do. How does she know? Because she knows her history. She knows that God has always been faithful to His people and recognizes that even her current situation is part of God’s greater story and a demonstration of that faithfulness.

Our Heavenly Father is always faithful. He was faithful before, He is faithful now, and He will continue to be faithful in the future. That is indeed worthy of praise!

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • How has God been faithful to you in the past?
  • How is God demonstrating His faithfulness to you today?
  • How does reflecting on God’s faithfulness in the past and present encourage you to trust Him with your future?

 

Church Reading Plan: Nahum 2; Luke 18