In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:26-28)
What a shock that must have been for Mary. There she was, probably doing the family chores—carrying water or feeding the chickens—when an angel showed up out of nowhere. And he called her "favored" and said, "The Lord is with you!" No wonder she was taken aback. What could he possibly want?
She found out soon enough. God was breaking into her little world, and He was honoring her with a special task that would rearrange her life forever. God is like that, sometimes.
God does that to us, too, when we're least expecting it. A sudden turn of events—a surprise medical diagnosis, a new job, a change in our family—and suddenly we're serving God in a way we never expected. And that can be scary. We feel unprepared.
What better can we do than to lean on Jesus for help? He who lived and suffered and died and rose for our sakes, because He loved us—He will surely help us now.
WE PRAY: Lord, You know what I'm facing. Help me through it. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* When have you been caught unprepared by some event in your life?
* How did that change the way you serve God and God's people?
* How do you find strength and comfort in Jesus when your life changes?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Zechariah 1-4 3 John
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