How time flies. I still remember January 01 2012, and now it’s December
03 2012. Praise God!!! When i think about how far He’s brought me, how
different the girl who sits here typing is from the girl who saw January 1st,
i really can’t help but praise Him. The year started off slow, but in the blink
of an eye went into overdrive towards the middle of the year, like it was
trying to make up for my slacking off in its first few months – and now its
December, the month of fruition.
A lot of us started the year with promises and prophesies, and those that
didn’t picked them up as the months rolled by. Whichever category you fall
into, you are now at the final stretch and your thoughts are probably running
wild either because of impatience or because it doesn’t look like anything is
going to happen anytime soon - Will He? When will He? How will He? For many of
us this is indeed the 9th month. We’ve been nursing our promises so
far and are just about ready to give birth. I’d like to encourage you not to
lose hope at this final lap. Oh the enemy will try, but remember that you are
more than a conqueror. DO NOT let him steal your victory.
This devotional from “Power to change” encouraged me; I hope it does the
same for you too.
The Ninth Month
“And he came to
her and said, ‘Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you!
Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!’” (Luke
1:28, The Amplified Bible)
Several theologians
refer to something called our “baptized imaginations”. Simply put, it is
described as allowing God’s Spirit to enliven the way we think about truth.
There is no doubt that we believe in the virgin birth of Christ. But when we
encourage our “baptized imaginations” to dwell on the realities of Mary’s
pregnancy, we can imagine her ninth month of pregnancy.
Although called a
“favored one,” Mary did not escape the difficulties of that month. Women who
have experienced pregnancy know that physical exhaustion is a certainty in that
final month. While going to the grocery store is difficult for modern women,
think what it was like to carry water from the well in a stone jar. Backaches
become 24-hour ordeals. One website encourages women to pamper themselves
during this month. That was not culturally possible or practically available
for Mary.
So how did she do
it? And what can we learn from her? The most obvious answer is found in Mary’s
response to Gabriel’s astonishing announcement: “Behold, I am the handmaiden
of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said.” (Luke
1:38) In his Message paraphrase, Eugene Peterson writes it thus: “I’m
the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. ?Let it be with me just as you say.”
Whether men or
women, we all go through “ninth months.” Sometimes they are physical, but more
often they are spiritual or emotional. We suspect that something good is
coming, but it hasn’t arrived. We may wonder how God will accomplish His will,
but we cling to His promises.
Let this be our
daily prayer through ninth month experiences, “Lord, I am yours. I am
ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Amen.”
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