A humbled and open heart is fertile soil for God’s seeds of wisdom to be planted. Deeper Roots is focused on analyzing God’s word to discover truths, values, and lessons for application to our lives. Periodically, a scripture or passage calls for further exploration, like Luke 1:39-56.
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Luke 1:39-56 ESV
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Our Deeper Roots passage in Luke shows how we should respond to divine interruptions. Our passage highlights the events that took place prior to Jesus’s earthly arrival. Mary had just received the revelation about Jesus and her relative, Elizabeth, from an angel. So Mary sets off to visit Elizabeth. Their encounter is filled with immediate recognition of the important gifts that each of them carries. Mary responds with an exclamation of joy and reverence for the power and providence of God. After three months pass, Mary returns home.
When Mary finds out that she is destined to give birth by miraculous means, she puts herself in an environment of preparation. Mary knew from the angel that Elizabeth was further along in her pregnancy and sought her out. Both of them were first-time mothers, with divine revelations on who their children would be. Mary positioned herself in a place with someone further along than she was. And once she arrived, they both recognized the gift of what they were carrying. Those three months were full of preparation for not only John the Baptist’s arrival but Jesus Christ’s arrival. Because at that time, Mary had no idea that she would be delivering in a different town, in a cave, and placing her newborn in a manger, but walking alongside Elizabeth prepared her for the season ahead.
When God presents us with divine interruptions, we have a choice. Let’s learn from Mary’s example and place ourselves in environments of preparation. We should find mentors who are further along and learn all that we can. We will never know what lies ahead, but we can take time to glean wisdom from others. There is no telling which experiences will help us navigate the challenges ahead, but we can always remember that God wastes nothing.
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