“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold,  this time on all generations will count me blessed.   “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name” (Luke 1:48-49).

The Mighty One, Creator of all things, who holds all together and knows everything has regard for the humble state of His bondslaves.  God is the God of love.  He cares for that which He has created.  He considers you and calls you to come into His presence.  Through you He can do mighty things, not least of which is bring you into His presence eternally.  Learn holiness from the One who is Holy.

Lord, my arrogance gets in the way, and I think I know what I do not know.  Help me to have an attitude that is willing to learn from You, the One who knows all things.  Guide me away from the arrogance that is all around me in this world to understand that I am Your bondslave.  I was born in bondage to sin, and You have paved the way for me to be freed from sin to know that I am always dependent upon You.

Lord Jesus, You have come to set the captive free.  You provide all the grace I need that I may live into the life You have prepared and set before me.  Guide me so that I seek You first knowing that You alone are able to lead me in the way I need to go.  Lead me today, my Savior, through those obstacles which will come my way.  Help me to learn holiness from You.  Amen.  

“And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-47).

Does your soul exalt?  Do you rejoice?  In this time of constant busy-ness we often forget that there is the One who created all things and we forget to make time to be with Him.  God is the One who sustains us and God is the One who rescues us from the rebellion of this world.  Your spirit longs for what is right, the Lord is calling each of us into His presence where all is right and holy.  Come into the presence of the Lord.

Lord, You are Holy and great is Your majesty.  You have come to us and called us to learn what it means to exalt You,Your presence, and the gift of salvation.  You have come to teach us to rejoice in Your holiness, learning how to live lives that are holy even as You are holy.  We are physical beings, but we are also spiritual beings.  Come, minister to my spirit and teach me to exalt You and rejoice in Your salvation.

Salvation Incarnate, Jesus my Savior, You have come to lead the way into holiness.  Guide me now and always in the way of everlasting life such that I learn from You what it means to seek holiness.  Help me in Your goodness and mercy to humbly bow when I discover those places where I am neither in Your holiness, nor rejoicing in Your salvation.  Lead me to live into the life to which You are calling me.  Amen.  

“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord” (Luke 1:44-45).

The sound reached my ears, and I heard and there was a response.  Is this not the reality of the Gospel reaching out to one who believes?  It either bounces off of the one to whom it comes, or else it goes in and begins its work of mercy and grace.  This is an ordinary event wrapped up in the extraordinary.  The word of the Lord has been and will be fulfilled according to His will.

The Lord is speaking continuously.  His word is what sustains existence, but many are dull of hearing.  The word of the Lord shall be fulfilled, for He who made all things is now and will be forever the One who has all dominion, power, and authority.  He has fulfilled all He spoke of through the prophets of old, and in these last days, He fulfills His will through Christ our Lord and Savior.

My Lord and Savior, help me to be attuned to Your word such that when the Good News comes to me I receive it.  Help me to understand that all other things will pass away, but Your words will endure forever.  You have come bringing blessings to those who will heed Your call and follow You.  Help me to hear, and walk humbly by Your leading.  May the sound of Your greeting reach into my soul.  Amen.

“And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43)

The superior says to the inferior, “You are greater than me.”  A simple twist of propriety where the elder honors the younger.  Is this not the way of the Kingdom of our Lord?  Things are not the same as they are in this world.  We hear a principle of learning to honor.  Give thanks for all of the good gifts which God gives.  He chooses whom He chooses for His own purposes.  Learn to honor others chosen by the Lord.

Lord, in this world of rebellion I am led astray by different principles than what You have declared.  I am constantly going against Your word without realizing it.  Help me to learn to honor where I am able to honor.  Aid me to be thankful for every revelation You give.  Lead me to look for Your hand of action in, through and around me.  As Elizabeth rejoiced as Your bondslave arrived, so also help me to rejoice when one of Your faithful ones comes into my presence.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for showing me the truth that You received those who came to You.  You did not act like the world, asking what position they held, but received them as they were.  Lead me to treat others with respect so that I receive them as they come to me.  This is Your world, not mine.  Help me to live my life in the truth that I am a part of what You have created.  Guide me by grace to be in Your righteousness.  Amen.

“Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,  and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:39-41).

The Lord moves in mysterious ways.  Do we know all that He is doing?  Things are aligned  so that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.  Mary is called to Elizabeth and Elizabeth is moved by the Spirit of God and knows that the Savior is coming.  We worry about details and sometimes forget that the God of all eternity is moving always to bring about salvation for those who believe. 

Lord, seemingly ordinary things happen around me which I do not pay attention to; but You are always lining things up so that Your will is accomplished.  Help me to see and move such that I am a part of what You are doing in this world.  Help me to willingly go where You send me and receive whom You send.  You alone are God and You alone know the end from the beginning.

Guide me, Lord Jesus, to live such that I willingly go where You send me.  Help me to be led by Your Spirit, listening and responding to You as You give me the ability.  Aid me to not be led by what this world does, but to be attuned by Your Spirit and do what is pleasing to the Father.  Teach me all that I need to know to walk the path of faithfulness, seeking the righteousness You give by grace.  Amen.

“And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).

Mary, the bondslave.  We are born in bondage to sin, and we move from sin to the Lord, yet, for this age, remain in bondage.  It is not a matter of choice in one sense, but of the reality that we are not our own person.  Perhaps this is the place of the real struggle.  The irreducible bottom line is that we want to be on our own.  But we belong either to the rebellion or the Lord.  If to the Lord, then learn obedience.

Lord, You know the struggles of humanity, and You have allowed this for Your own purpose.  Lead me so that I understand that being Your bondslave is the better portion.  Help me to realize that I need You and You have shown Your desire to have me be with You.  Aid me learn how to dwell in the peace that surpasses all understanding so that I may live into the life You are offering me by grace through faith.

Lord Jesus, You know the struggle of the will, which You answered with, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”  Guide me in the way of salvation so that I seek the Father’s will in all things.  Help me to realize that this is not a struggle against the flesh, but against my spirit which rebels at the truth that I am the created and the Father is the Creator.  Help me to say, “Let it be done to me according to Your will.”  Amen.

“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.  For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:36-37).

One impossible and one seemingly impossible event happened in the same family.  A virgin and an old age pregnancy. Nothing is impossible with God.  How often do we not believe that God is able?  How often do we choose only what we know when God offers us the unknown?  It is not that we have to believe, but that we cannot understand until we believe.  Come into belief and see God grow in you His image.

Lord, there are many things I have not believed.  I know You are not limited, but too often I am.  I also know You will not give until I am ready to receive.  You do this for my sake.  Help me to learn how to trust You more and more so that I walk deeper into the faith You have given me.  You are able to do all things.  Help me to trust You so that in all things I am walking with You.

Lord Jesus, You know the struggles of this life.  You know where I falter and fail.  Your grace enables me to walk by faith.  Help me to live the faith You have given me.  If You see the need to do something through me, help me to have faith so that I trust You when You ask me to believe.  Now and always, keep me from living with my doubts so that I may live in the faith You have given me.  Amen.

“Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:34-35).

How can this be?  The God who created all things is able to do what He chooses to do.  The first parents were created, not born, yet in every other way, they were like us.  Or should we say, we are like them.  We often limit ourselves to our own understanding of things and do not seek to come into the understanding that with God, all things are possible.  Of course, a virgin can be with child.  How?  I do not know; but He is the God through whom all things have their being.  With a word He created all things.

Lord, open me up so that I do not seek to understand things without thinking.  Help me to understand that You are Almighty and reign over all things.  It will be as You determine.  Guide me out of the malaise of this world to hold fast to the simple truth that You have wonderfully created each one of us as we are and You will lead us to be who we are and do what we do for Your purpose.  Lead me up and out of this world’s thinking to trust You above all things.

Lord Jesus, vulnerable and born in precarious worldly circumstances, You have paved the way for those who come through You to become children of the Heavenly Father.  Your creation has begun anew with each person who comes into Your grace.  Lead me the way I need to be led to go where I need to go.  Help my unbelief so that I do not settle but continue upon the path which You have set before me.  Amen.

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:32-33).

Who is this One born of Mary?  This has been the question from the time He was born.  What does God say?  Listen to these words.  He will reign; the rebellion shall be overcome.  He will hold in His hands what He has established.  He shall be seen as one of us, yet also we know He is God.  What He does is forever.  Yes, there is mystery, for this is God who is doing these things.  Will your life be directed by yourself or by Him?

Lord, I have heard these words many times, but I often do not think about them.  You created all things and You are re-creating all things anew through grace.  I often think in terms of things done and not in terms of things being done.  You have called me into Your kingdom and have given me the hope that I will be made into Your child, born not of flesh and blood, but of Your power unleashed which makes all things new.

Lord Jesus, babe lying in a manger, You have revealed the next step of the journey.  To those who believe, You have called us to live in Your lineage, not the lineage of rebellion.  You have called us into the new creation to become what You will make of us.  Aid me to see through the lies of this age in order to become what You will make of me.  Help me to become like You.  Amen.

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31).

Do not be afraid; you have found favor with God.  This is not just for Mary, but for all who come into the grace which has come because Jesus was born.  The name Jesus means “God’s salvation.”  All who come to Him enter into God’s salvation which begins with repentance and the forgiveness of sin.  That is the beginning.  Becoming a sanctified child of God will take the rest of your life.

We each have conceived in us the image of Christ and it must grow so that we become like Christ.  Step by step and day by day, we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ our Savior.  There is much fear in this world and this fear is debilitating.  Greater is He who is in you that anything in this world which He made.  He has come to lead you in overcoming the adversity of this world.

Lord, You have come to lead me in salvation.  Through You alone comes hope.  I fear and I forget that You have told me to not be afraid.  Send forth Your Spirit so that I may live in the hope You give me.  Guide me according to the Father’s purpose to live into the life You have set before me.  May salvation grow within me as You gestated in Mary’s womb.  Help me to become like You.  Amen.