Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Well, hey, friends, welcome to Friday's edition of the Weekday Podcast. Thanks for being with us all week long. If you missed one of the days, I would encourage you to go back and catch up on it. This week has all been about Mary's response to the uncertainty in her life. And today I want to talk about the God who meets you. Because if I'm honest with you, there have been Decembers where I desperately needed God to meet with me, where everyone left and I'm just staring at the wall after an event's over, wondering do I have anything else to give? Where I smiled through everything while still carrying grief that I didn't know how to name. And when I tried to pray, there was times that it just wasn't great. Not because God wasn't there I knew he was, but because fear felt louder than his voice, disappointment felt heavier than his promise. And the future I felt honestly felt foggier than I wanted to admit. And sometimes the most courageous thing I could do in that moment is to whisper, lord, I'm choosing to trust you, even though I had zero clarity about what was coming next. What I want to tell you, if you've been there, that's not failure. That's actually faith. The promise that Mary holds onto is powerful. Here's what Mary teaches us. When everything's uncertain, when fear is loud, when the future is unclear, there's one promise that changes everything, and it's the line from Luke 1:30. Don do not be afraid, Mary, for you've found favor with God. The word favor comes from a Greek word called charis. It's the same word that we get the word grace from. It's the sense of God's unearned kindness. God looked at Mary and said, I'm choosing you. Not because you earned it, not because you're qualified, but because that's just how I am. And the same God who met Mary in Nazareth meets us here. The God who spoke then still speaks now. The God who filled her with joy can fill us, too, because joy is a person.
[00:01:57] Here's the truth that we keep missing. Peace is not a vibe to chase. It's not a mood that you have to manufacture. Joy is not a feeling that you have to work up. It's not something that you achieve when you finally get your life together. Joy is a person, and his name is Jesus. And if you're a follower of Christ, he's already with you right now. Mary's joy did not come from her circumstances. It came from the presence of God stepping into her her life. And the same is true for us.
[00:02:25] So today I want to leave you with this idea. Before December hits full speed, take a breath, bring your heart before God and pray something like God, I give you my December. Guard my heart, guard my thoughts. Help me to walk in your joy. May my home, my work, my words reflect your presence in a chaotic world. In Jesus name, amen.
[00:02:47] You don't have to have it all together to have joy. You just have to walk with the one who is joy. Because joy doesn't wait for the answer. It trusts the one who gives it. Joy is a person and his name is Jesus. Have a great day. We'll see you soon.
