Luke 1:26-33
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
The details of the Christmas story show us that it was full of confusion, fear, and anxiety, beginning with Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel. The details can easily be missed, but in this story they are just too outrageous. God is trying to tell us something in the way the Christmas story happened. Don’t let the tranquility of our nativity scenes fool you. The things causing anxiety in your life right now can cause you to miss the important details of what God is doing. It may be crazy, confusing, and messy but God is present and He’s at work!
Take a few minutes today to slow down and look at what’s causing you anxiety. Pay attention to the details. Do you see God? What might He be trying to show or tell you through it? Pray today that God would open your eyes and ears to what He is doing in you and saying to you. Make it your goal today not to be so distracted that you miss the details.