This is the time of year when we hear the familiar Christmas story of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We hear of the angel Gabriel appearing to a virgin named Mary, who was engaged to Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel’s message to Mary was that she would give birth to God’s Son.

When it was nearing the time of His birth, Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem because of a census. There Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid Him in a manger. With much fanfare, a great host of angels announced His birth to nearby shepherds who came to worship.

But there’s a part of this story that is usually skipped over. Even though Mary was willing to accept her calling and assignment from God, she had to surrender her expectations of what she had imagined her life would be. For this was a very dangerous assignment, potentially bringing a death sentence. 

According to the Jewish law, anyone caught in adultery, or even suspected of adultery, could be stoned to death. An engagement back then was as binding as marriage and required a divorce to break the engagement. What would people say or do when they found out she was pregnant before the wedding? What would Joseph do? Her life was in his hands.

But Mary’s life and her unborn child were in God’s hands alone. God would protect His Son and the chosen woman who would bear Him. As Joseph was deciding what to do, Gabriel was sent to assure him that Mary’s baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

God was also concerned about Mary and made a way for her to process this calling upon her life. The message from Gabriel also contained some unexpected news. Her relative Elizabeth, who was advanced in age and barren all her life, was also miraculously pregnant, for nothing is impossible with God.

Mary knew what to do next. She had to go see Elizabeth. If anyone would understand what had happened to her, it would be Elizabeth. For God had a special plan for Elizabeth’s baby too. John the Baptist would be a prophet of the Lord, and was to prepare the way for the Lord, telling the people how to find salvation through forgiveness of sin.

So, Mary left her home and traveled to visit Elizabeth, staying with her the final three months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. When she heard Mary’s voice, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed her as the mother of the Lord. John also jumped for joy in the womb. Elizabeth believed Mary’s announcement of her miraculous pregnancy.

For three months these two women encouraged each other’s faith and carried their impossible promises and assignments together. Even if the rest of the world would not believe that God had done the impossible for them, they knew. They upheld each other during this time, until Mary felt ready to return to her home to face whatever lay ahead with confident faith that God would take care of it all.

Has God called you to do the impossible? Is your assignment and dream bigger than anything you can imagine? Has it been met with misunderstanding and doubt from those you’ve shared it with? Ask God to reveal that one who will understand and believe with you, who will stand with you to the end.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 845-482-5300.