Holding It In... Waiting It Out

• Luke 2:19 (MSG)

---

I forget about Mary. That she didn't see the manifestation of the promise spoken over her by the angel for nearly 30 Years! The angel had promised He was going to be the MESSIAH. That His name would be EMMANUEL. And yet, for 30 years, nothing. How can someone last that long holding on to a promise?

Vs. 19: She kept all THESE THINGS to herself, holding them dear deep within herself. What was she holding in? Probably how the baby John leaped inside Elizabeth when she went to spend time with her. Probably the angel's visit that both scarred and awed her. The visit of the sheepherders-- their story of how angel's came to sing and tell them about the birth of her very own son. The reminder that she gave birth without the seed of a man.

What do I hold in? Is it the promises of God? The confirmations that solidify His purpose in my life? Or do I hold in the doubts, the failures, the hiccups, the obstacles and detours in my life?

Mary, Mary, Mary... I have learned something from you today. A way of making it easier to WAIT ON THE LORD. A way of making patience seem more doable. I will hold on to His promises. Every victory I have along the way, I will replay it in my mind. Every word of knowledge and prophetic blessing spoken over my life, I will relive it. Every encounter in my quiet time that reinforces and reminds me that I am called to ministry-- I will go back to it every time I start feeling sad, or tired, or begin to question "How much longer, Lord?"

I have to hold on to God's goodness and His promises so I can wait it out for His perfect timing to arrive.

---