Daily Devotion 12/10/18
Luke 1:28-31 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
Have you ever had someone tell you not to be afraid? That’s something that is easier said than done, right? I think that when the angel told Mary not to be afraid it might have been the most easier-said-than-done statements of all time. The angel just told her she was going to conceive with a child. She’s a teenager from a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business. She pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. If she’s caught in adultery, technically in that culture she could be put to death. Would anyone believe that an angel appeared to her? Not likely. There was plenty to fear. Maybe you feel like that right now. You look around your life and the circumstances that you’re in and you’re thinking, “Man, there’s a lot to be afraid of.” But the same words that the angel spoke to Mary apply to you as well: the Lord is with you. No matter what you’re going through, the Lord is with you. Your fears may be big, but God is bigger than your fears. He promises he is with you always. So do not fear today. The Lord is with you!
Thank you, Lord, for always being with me no matter where I go or what I encounter. Calm my fears today with your presence. Amen.