Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
After the shepherds shared the angel's proclamation about Jesus, Mary's response was profound. She treasured, pondered, and preserved these moments in her heart. Luke chapter 2, verse 19 captures it beautifully: "But Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart."
Memorizing the Details
Was Mary memorizing the details? Jesus's tender face. The shepherds' excitement. Joseph's protective gaze. This wasn't merely about her firstborn's birth. It was about God's answer to humanity's unsolvable problem through divine intervention. Jesus was the answer.
As Mary pondered, questions likely surfaced. What did this mean for their future? Would Jesus receive honor or face hatred? What would raising a king require? When baby Jesus cried with hunger, did she contemplate the mystery that God's Son chose to become needy and small? Was this how He would reign—humble and meek?
Recalling Her Song
Holding her infant, did Mary recall her own song? "His mighty arm has done tremendous things. He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has filled the hungry with good things." That's Luke chapter 1, verses 51 and 53. Mary treasured both the miraculous and practical aspects of her calling. Her deep reverence and evident trust in God would sustain her through thousands of future yeses required in mothering the Messiah.
Learning to Let Go
From day one, she had to learn to let go, trusting God's greater plan above her own protective instincts. Had Mary's prayer been "God, keep Him close and safe," she would have missed Jesus's life purpose of saving the world from sin, and we would have missed everything. Instead, her prayer likely echoed her initial response in Luke chapter 1, verse 38: "I am the Lord's servant. May everything You have said about me come true."
Drawing Near This Christmas
This Christmas, may we quiet our hearts and draw near to Jesus, pondering His love for you. Let's marvel at the details of His divine arrival and allow our hearts to be touched by His presence. May God stir our souls, awakening us to experience Jesus's deep love through all our senses. He is closer than our next breath—not distant, but intimately present. He is hope that lives on and will never leave.
We all have expectations for how Christmas should unfold. But what if we lean closer to the One who may have other plans? Plans far greater than our own. His will, not ours. Your will, not mine.
Perhaps the greatest gift we can offer this Christmas season is the same surrender Mary modeled: treasuring God's mysterious ways in our hearts while trusting His perfect plan, even when it challenges our own desires and expectations.