"How can this be?"
Mary's question is our question. The story of Christmas is nice and
sweet, but could it really have happened? The angel answered Mary by
saying that the power of the most high would overshadow her. The Bible
is filled with wonderful examples of the power of God. In one great
example the prophet Elijah is doing battle with the false god of Baal.
Wood was placed on an altar on Mt. Carmel and a contest was held to see
which God could send down fire to burn the sacrifice. The prophets of
Baal called on their god most of the day with no success. Elijah then
had water poured on the wood again and again until it was completely
soaked then called on God, "O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these
people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought
them back to yourself." God heard Elijah"s prayer and "immediately the
fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull,
the wood,, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in
the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the
ground and cried out, 'the LORD--he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!"(I
Kings 18:37-39)
We all have a tendency to want to chase after false gods such as
possessions, power, popularity, and pleasure , but they never satisfy.
Christmas reminds us that God loves us enough and is powerful enough to
meet our deepest needs. When we trust Him, He will overshadow us and
demonstrate that He alone is God. And out of His working in our lives, a
Life will grow in us that causes us to be more like Jesus and fills our
hearts with love peace and joy. Christ wants to demonstrate his power
in your life to let you know that he is bringing you back to Himself.
The incarnation is God's power at work to bring a lost world back to
Himself. Trusting Him places us into that process.
How can this be? The God of Elijah is our God as well. Elijah was a
man with a nature just like ours (James 5:17) and his faith produced
amazing results. Mary was a woman with a nature just like ours and her
faith led to the coming of the Son of God into our world. The LORD, he
is God!
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