“And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things which were spoken to her by the Lord.” Luke 1:45 (AMPC)
It’s a compelling thought: God makes amazing promises to his women and if we dare to believe it, we will be blessed.
Think of Mary, an ordinary young woman leading a quiet life in Nazareth, taking care of her family’s household chores while dreaming of her commitment with Joseph.
Suddenly, the angel Gabriel passes from heaven on his humble piece of land and said something scandalous. He makes a promise that could never be fulfilled by mere human effort.
He declares the imminent birth of a Savior – the long-awaited Messiah – through him, a virgin. He makes it clear that she is God’s chosen vessel and through her the amazing plan of redemption will occur. And then Mary does something even more outrageous.
She believes.
Despite her initial fears and not fully understanding how this is going to work, she chooses to believe what God tells her. And history declares her blessed among all women.
Meet the scriptures where it all began, the first chapter of Luke. I call it every woman’s verse:
“And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things which were spoken to her by the Lord”(Luke 1:45).
God speaks. He gives the promise. And we believe
Simple, right? Yet sometimes believing God’s promises is the hardest part. To believe is to dare. Believing is a challenge in the face of everything we experience. We are uncertain, we are afraid of making everything up. Our faith is terribly wavering and weak.
But if we dare to believe, we will be blessed among women. This truth holds the ability to anchor our hearts as we face the two struggles every woman experiences.
Our first struggle is to believe that we are what God says we are.
Unfortunately, we often believe less in ourselves – we are still the same as ourselves.
“My mother was in a bad mood, and I am too.”
“My father was angry, and that’s how our family is wired.”
Struggles with stubbornness, quarrels, feelings of inadequacy or the ability to hold grudges are simply a given – a family heirloom like freckles or muscular legs or blue eyes.
We have accepted a lesser version of ourselves.
What if, like Mary, we truly reflected and accepted and dared to believe that we are who God says we are?
Our second battle is to believe the amazing promises that God whispers to our hearts.
How often do we struggle because what God says to our hearts makes no sense? We ask ourselves, How? How can this happen since _____?
I struggle to grasp God’s infinite abilities because the deep issues I struggle with privately seem impossible to overcome. Or I’m confused by the logistics. Although we desperately want to believe, much of what we see is the exact opposite of the promise. Our hearts imbue the promise but cannot understand the how.
What if we dared to believe that God could do anything – anything – in and through us? What if, like Mary, our hearts were open in the midst of our most confusing, uncomfortable and improbable situations?
God creates supernatural things through women. He whispers to our imperfect hearts and invites us to believe in his amazing promises. Even when we’re a hot mess. When we dare to believe him, he is honored. He is glorified. And his promises are beginning to unfold.
As God created the Messiah through Mary, his chosen vessel, he creates beautiful things through each of us.
What promises do you keep? Has God whispered an amazing promise to your heart – a promise so great that it cannot be fulfilled apart from Him? Or maybe you’re worried that there’s no promise.
If you’ve ever felt somewhere between rock and hot, you’re not alone. And contrary to what it might seem, you are actually in the right place. A divine place, where a holy promise exists. A place where each woman can dare to believe and kiss All God offers.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Job 42:2“I know you can do anything and no thought Or purpose of yours can be retained Or upset. ”(AMPC)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Have you ever felt like a hot mess and wondered if true godly change was really possible? With wisdom and authenticity, Julie K. Gillies helps you embrace God’s hope and promise in new ways through her new book, From Messy to Blessed: The Hope to Power Your Soul and the Promises That Change Everything.
RELATE:
Join Julie on his blog receive 7 promises for a hot mess, and get a chance to win one of the 5 signed copies of his book which has just been published, From bazaar to blessed.
THINK AND ANSWER:
Here are specific instructions you can pray this week to cultivate faith while daring to believe:
Ask God to align your heart with His heart. (Matthew 6:10)
Ask Him to cause your thoughts to become pleasing to His will. (Proverbs 16:3)
Ask him to send strength and encouragement to your heart. (Isaiah 40:29)
Ask Him to strengthen your faith. (Mark 9:23-24)
© 2017 by Julie Gillies. All rights reserved.
630, chemin Team, bureau 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
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