Savior

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:34-35

This Word is a pretty familiar passage to most people. It is repeated every year this time, although not as often as it used to be. We’ve talked often about the revelation of the Word. You know, how familiar passages, even one’s we can quote, those we’ve heard over and over that we give a nod to, come to life at just the right time. Familiar passages spoken to those long ago that speak right into our now’s. Those that drop us to our knees when we see them revealed in all their fullness. Thank You, Lord! That’s this passage to me. It made me wonder if I’d ever really spent time meditating on this Word. I love how Holy Spirit, our Helper, teaches us about His Father!

As I spent time pondering this passage, I thought that I’m a lot like Mary — How can this be? Throughout the scriptures, God reveals His character over and over. And then, when He says this is what I’m going to do, don’t we say — How can this be? We’ve often talked that one of the characteristics of God is that He is Omnipotent, He is All Powerful, His ways are not our ways, He doesn’t work in our power, He is the Powerful Mighty One. But the thing I love most is that He doesn’t get frustrated with the question — He gives an answer.

…The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

Doesn’t that just blow your mind? Now, we know a little about babies in the LeMaster family. Our family has been in the baby business lately — three baby boys in six months!! One sweet guy came this summer. One is my grandson, my precious Baby Beau. One we’re waiting to arrive any second — for real. Here’s the thing, we all know how these babies were conceived, how they were made, that they were knit together in their mothers’ wombs. God saw it.

But, Mary was a virgin. How can this be? Our God does the impossible! No kidding, this phrase has been popping up everywhere I turn. Our God does the impossible! The Holy Spirit’s revelation to me in this passage was that God is capable, He is able, to do the impossible. A virgin conceived. Roll that around in your mind.

If the Lord caused a virgin to conceive by the work of the Holy Spirit through the power of the Most High, is He not capable of handling my life stuff? How can this be? Our God does the impossible!

I also learned through this passage that He is willing. We know by now that God is not going to do anything that He doesn’t want to do, anything that doesn’t fit into His plan for good for His people. He is God, He clearly saw that His people needed saving (we make that obvious, don’t we?). And He willingly sent His Son to do just that. How can this be?

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. John 3:16

God “gave” His Son. He wasn’t forced to, He willingly gave Jesus because of a love for us that we cannot possibly comprehend.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:18-19

Our God is not only capable and willing to save, He desires to save! Just chew on that for a hot second. God wants us — He wants me! He wants you! He desires us! When we look at the mess of our lives we may be thinking – How can this be?

This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he desires everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

He wants everyone! Not just the good (who is?), not just the ones who already have their acts together (who does?), not just the ones who deserve it (who does?). He desires EVERYONE!

He isn’t just capable, He isn’t just willing, He isn’t just desirous, He will do it! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul, and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.

The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

God can save us. He alone can make us holy and whole. Such good Words. Don’t we need to be made holy and whole? The long and short of it friends, is that we need a Savior. We were born in sin, we were born already missing the mark. Every last one of us needs saved from ourselves. It’s not something we can do on our own. We can’t be good enough, positive enough, nice enough, serve enough, care enough, or love enough to remove our own sin, to save ourselves. There is only One Way. That Way is Jesus. The One who is capable, willing, desirous and who will do it, if we humble ourselves, admit our sin, admit our complete lack of control, our powerlessness, and call upon Him.

Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone. Acts 4:12

Lord of the Virgin Birth, the God of Possible, thank you that through Your Holy Spirit, Your Mighty Power, that Your Holy Work is done. Thank you for revealing, Lord, that if you are capable of breathing into Mary a Savior for all people, that you are capable of working in our impossible life situations. How can we doubt you, Lord? The act of sending Your Son, of manifesting Him, making Him visible to me in this Word, all because of Your great love for us, doing something we cannot do for ourselves, and was never intended to. You sent your Son in an incomprehensible, miraculous, world-take-notice, impossible way. Thank you, Lord! And if you did this to save my life and the life of everyone who accepts you, won’t you also save the days of Your children? Won’t you also do miraculous work in our daily circumstances. Just when the world was about to break, you did the impossible! How can this be? Because You love us so much that You want us to be with You forever, but not just in eternity, but in the now too. You delight in us! You cherish us!

And now to Him (all glory, praise and honor), who is able (willing, desirous and surely will) to do more than we can think or even imagine (He already has!), move Holy Spirit in our lives and the lives of the people we are connected to, to the nth degree. You Are The Only Holy God — The God of the Impossible!