Christmas According to Kids Part 2 — Mary Knew - Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
Luke 1:31-33
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (ESV)
A woman I know keeps a box filled with letters she wrote to herself at different stages of life. Dreams, prayers, hopes—many of them unfulfilled at the time she wrote them. She told me she occasionally opens the box to remind herself of what she trusted God for in past seasons. Some promises had unfolded beautifully. Others came about in ways she never expected. Some were still waiting. “The waiting,” she said, “is part of the believing.”
My dear aunt encouraged me to do a similar thing. Years before I met my wife, my aunt encouraged me to write a letter to her. I kept it in my nightstand and prayed for her long before I met her. It was filled with all the promises I made to her, and on June 1, 2024, I read that letter to her in front of all our family and friends on our wedding day.
Gabriel speaks promises to Mary—big, staggering, seemingly impossible promises. A Savior. A King. A never-ending kingdom. Mary had no evidence yet. Only words. Yet she trusted the God who spoke them.
God’s promises often reach us before their fulfillment does. They are like seeds planted in soil, invisible at first, but full of potential. Sometimes they grow quickly. Sometimes they root deeply before sprouting. But every promise God speaks is backed by His character, not our timeline.
Faith is often measured not by what we see but by how we respond while waiting. Abraham waited decades for Isaac. Joseph languished in prison before Pharaoh elevated him. Mary trusted that God’s word was enough, even when circumstances seemed impossible. Waiting does not indicate absence; it signals that God is orchestrating a bigger picture than we can see.
Trusting God’s promises doesn’t mean ignoring obstacles or pretending uncertainty isn’t real. It means choosing to believe in the One who is faithful even when our eyes cannot see the fulfillment yet. Like Mary, we are invited to say, “I trust You, Lord, even before I see.” This trust transforms our perspective. It allows hope to bloom in uncertainty and patience to anchor our hearts when life feels delayed or unpredictable.
Promises also invite partnership. Mary’s “yes” to God wasn’t passive waiting; it was an active participation in God’s plan. Faithful waiting requires engagement—prayer, obedience, and courage—while trusting God for the outcome.
APPLICATION
What promise from God (through Scripture or prayer) are you waiting to see fulfilled? How can you actively trust God while waiting rather than becoming passive, anxious, or impulsive?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that every promise You speak is sure and full of life. Help me trust Your timing, Your wisdom, and Your goodness even when I cannot yet see the outcome. Strengthen my faith as I wait on Your word, and give me the courage to participate in what You are doing while trusting You completely. Amen.