Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
January 12, 2023
Read Luke 1:26-45
26 When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. 31 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. 33 He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. 36 Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.” 38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her. 39 Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. 40 She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. 43 Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
Good Morning, Through God, nothing is impossible!
It is a beautiful morning to take a moment and thank God. One of my greatest joys over the past few months is having time in the early morning to open myself to God’s presence. As a teacher, I got up early and allowed myself meditation time each morning, but I had a time limit that was always in the back of my mind. Now, I still arise early, but without a pressing need to leave the house, I am blessed with unrestricted time. These are precious moments with my Lord and Savior.
The final verse of today’s passage lifts my spirits this morning. 45 Happy is she who believed the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.” Our lives are filled with ups and downs, times of quiet, and times of challenge. As Christians, we are called to a relationship with God through prayer, meditation, worship, and reading of Scripture. Through this relationship, we are preparing ourselves for everything that we will encounter in our lives. When we are learning new skills such as learning our multiplication tables, we work for automaticity. This is when we know them without thinking. We need to develop automaticity in our relationship with God.
In our happy moments, it is easy to remember to thank God for our blessings. In our quiet, simple times, we must always that God for our time of rest and respite. In our most desperate times, we must rely on our preparation, and continue talking to God. Sometimes we become so overwhelmed that we forget everything. This is when I have to quiet my mind and take a breath so that I can remember and do what I know to do. God promises to be with us always. Our God is closer than the very breath we breathe and is waiting to answer our calls.
Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. Thank you for fulfilling the promises. Help us when we are struggling to remember those promises. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Even when life seems hopeless, I will trust God’s power.
Do what you know! Pastor Liz