I Am The Servant Of The Lord

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your

word." And the angel departed from her.

There are many parts of being a parent that are to say the least, a bit difficult. Chief among those has to be letting your children make their own mistakes and allowing them to recover from those mistakes on their own.  By that I mean we offer advice, counsel, a listening ear before during and afterwards. But at some point we have to help them grow and build character by not stepping in.

Where were we? Oh yes, Andy had recently arrived at the jail in Fort Lewis. Well, I have to tell you that we have had some interesting conversations.  I cherish those conversations. We can for a brief period talk openly about what he is going through, what he is feeling, and how he is coping. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit with Andy face to face. There was not a dry eye in the room.  But this is the thing for Andy and I to accept and to cherish. He is right where God needs him to be to reach him.  He is going through some very tough times. He is in the refiners’ fire being forged and shaped for something that is to follow. See the words of the Italian prophet (thank you Pastor Dinger for that one) Malachi 3: 2-4.  We all are being refined throughout our own lives and experiences.  I can without hesitation tell you that I would not have chosen the path Andy is on as the path to bring his faith to fruition.  But God is in charge of this and I am not. God knows what it takes to reach Andy and He knows what it takes to reach each of us.  Some of us may need to hear a booming voice from the sky, or see a burning bush. Still others need something small or seemingly insignificant like hearing a quiet voice calling out “here I am.”  Regardless of what it takes, we can all reach the point in our lives that Mary reached in speaking with the Angel.  We all can say “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word.”  It comes from what is called faith.  And our faith comes from the same God we need to have faith in.  Jesus on the cross told his Father (see Luke 23:46) “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  He trusted his Father. We too must trust God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit because the Triune God knows far better than we can ever know what is best for us.  What this boils down taking that leap of faith we must take. We must all come to the same realization as Mary.  We are the servants of God.  In that capacity the possibilities are limitless and the impossibilities are vanquished.

I do not know the rest of the Andy and Forest story because that is still being written. The author for that story is one I trust for a good ending.  One thing we all can be sure of is we are not alone because God is right there by our side.  And friends of the risen Savior that is all that matters.  “Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea Peace! Be still! and the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)  Jesus is who we need to trust and turn to when the seas of our life are raging around us.

PRAYER: Lord and giver of life, You comfort us in times of struggle. You have been and will always be there for us. On this day and every day we give thanks for the directions You give us in our lives. And when the road before us is dark and rocky, you are there to lighten our burden and guide us with Your light. We thank You for Your Son, the Light of our world. It is in His name that we pray. Amen