So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 
Luke 2:16-19

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In Isaiah 9:6, we hear the ultimate hope in the prophecy of Jesus. Then over 600 years later, a young Mary was visited by an angel who tells her that as a virgin, she’ll bear a son—the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38). Can you imagine? She was troubled, but had faith. Then she visited her relatives to find Elizabeth miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-56), and her faith turned to deep, abiding, gratitude. In Luke 2, as Mary is looking at Jesus lying in a manger, instead of words like “troubled” or “anxious” or “how” or “when,” we read that she “treasured” all that was happening, fully engaged in the divine moment that God had made her a part of.

We lost my mom in a really hard way last year, and as I’m reflecting on the memories of that time, I’m also processing my dad now battling a critical illness. Of the myriad of emotions in the loss and struggle of these things, maybe not surprisingly to some, anxiety bubbles to the top often for me. So many questions about the efficacy of treatments, who the best doctors are, and more—all anxiety-inducing questions with no absolute answers. There are two astute quotes by Corrie ten Boom that name what feels like the reality of feeling anxious, and points me to  where to start to quench it:

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” 

Even with diagnosis, treatment and statistics, we don’t know what will happen with my sweet dad. Aren’t most things about our earthly future that way? But, I believe one of the reasons Mary treasured that moment with Jesus in the manger was because of all she witnessed God do leading up to His birth. So now, I can read about God’s faithfulness in Mary’s story, and when I truly reflect on my own, I can see evidence of His work in a million little and sometimes big ways. It encourages me to have hope today and tomorrow.

Next Steps

Listening to Same God helps me reflect on who God is and how faithful He is, and Living Hope reminds me that I’m part of the redemptive story He wrote for us. I hope they also help you reflect on all the ways God has been faithful in your own stories and encourage you to hope for His faithfulness to come.