God always cares for His people … but we often miss seeing it. Why?
Well, I think we can miss seeing God’s provision because we misunderstand what it (often) looks like.
In order to illustrate this point, let’s think for a moment about how our expectations influence our observation. I am a big College Football fan. I have followed the sport for my entire life, an era spanning 50 years. Now, College Football has been around over 150 years, so I never saw the first 100 years, but my 50 years are no small sample size …
So in my 50 years, I have come to understand a few things about the sport.
- Indiana is not a good football program.
- Texas Tech is an average football program.
- Vanderbilt is not a good football program.
Because of this history, if you were to go back in time just 16 months and ask college football elites about the fate of the 2025 season for Indiana, Texas Tech, and Vanderbilt, you would probably get a general shrug of the shoulders, followed by a guess that ONE of these teams MIGHT make a bowl game that would be played in Shreveport, Louisiana or Boise, Idaho in early December.
And yet …
As we sit here today, the number 1 team in the country is Indiana (clearly). The number 3 team in the country is Texas Tech (and that is probably too low). And the team with the second biggest legitimate gripe for NOT making the CFP is Vanderbilt (who, by the way, also has a Heisman finalist playing QB!)
Our expectations are sometimes wrong and can lead us to look for the best teams in all the wrong places!
So, let me make a quick transition to Luke 1:39-56. Last week, in Luke 1:26-38 we saw the angel Gabriel visit Mary and announce the virgin conception of Jesus – the Son of God and Savior of the World. Because this news came to Mary via an angel, we may be tempted to think that God’s care for Mary during her pregnancy would be provided by 24/7 visible angelic guard and counsel. If that is our expectation, then we might think that God abandoned Mary during the 9 months of her pregnancy – after all, no angels were seen by Mary during this span.
But DID GOD REALLY ABANDON HER?
Well it depends on what we are expecting to see.
When Gabriel visited Mary he not only told her that she (though a virgin) would be pregnant, but that her elderly relative, Elizabeth, had also conceived and was 6 months along! Why did Gabriel tell Mary that? Well, it seems to prompt Mary to make a journey south to Elizabeth’s home! Mary ends up spending 3 months with her, and God would use Elizabeth to encourage Mary during this season. Additionally, Mary responds in words deeply dependent upon the Word of God.
So how did God encourage Mary through her 9 months of pregnancy? Through angels … or through something more accessible and enduring? God encouraged Mary through the presence of His people and through meditation on His Word.
Sound familiar? Though you and I may not get an angelic visit, God’s people and God’s Word are closer than we often think! God did not abandon Mary, and He will not abandon you or I as well.
Sometimes the best teams are from more ordinary schools, and sometimes God’s care comes in more natural looking packaging. But the care is from God nonetheless!
This Sunday, in part 3 of our “Christmas Morning” series at Wildwood, we will be in Luke 1:39-56 as we reflect on God’s care for Mary (and us) in this life. Hope to see you in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 services. See you there … and bring friends!
To access the “Christmas Morning” Christmas devotional, click here.