Recognition. Blessed.

At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her and she was filled with the Holy Spirit.

She gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is destined for God’s mightiest praise. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! When you came in and greeted me, the instant I heard your voice, my baby moved in me for joy!  You believed that God would do what he said; that is why he has given you this wonderful blessing.”
Luke 1:41 - 45

Prophetic words. Divine wisdom
showed Elisabeth the unborn child
hidden in a young girl's body.

Blessed was this girl. Blessing. 'To be spoken well of.'
God has given Mary this child,
this reason to be 'spoken well of'.

Blessed was she, as was Jael, renowned for killing
Sisera, Canaanite cruel enemy,
saving her people.

Yet Mary too would be the instrument
bringing salvation.
Through life, not death.

Mary.
'Spoken well of, like Jael.'
Not a saviour in herself. 'Just'
the mother
of The Saviour.

Note: the cross-reference to Luke 1:42 is Judges 5:24, which recounts the story of Jael who killed Sisera, commander of the enemy Canaanite army, by driving a tent peg through his head while he slept, thus saving the Israelites. The word used for 'blessed' seems to be the same in both texts, albeit the NT one is Greek and the OT one Hebrew.

Seeking God in difficult times.

1 Peter 4:15 - 19

" If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!...
So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it."

"God will bless you, if you don't give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him."

When I am abused...and I haven't done anything bad...it is because of Christ.

I can pray.

When my faith is tested...and I am tempted to give up, give in...

I can pray.

When I find life difficult...and I feel far from God...

I can pray.

It all comes back to Jesus.

Bonnie Gray talks about How to Pray Even When You Don't Feel Like It: “Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.” K. Chesterton 

To pray. To draw close to God. To get up 'while it is still dark and go to a solitary place'.

To cling to Him, like Jacob, and be blessed.

Living bountifully...blessed

It's encouraging how much God wants to bless us: right in the beginning, man and woman were told to prosper and reproduce (Genesis 1:25-27). Noah was blessed in the same way after the flood. (Genesis 9:1-3) Abraham was to be blessed with children, whose descendants would be so bountiful that they could not be numbered. (Genesis 22:14-16)

God has said he will bless his people.

Yet with blessing comes responsibility.

We are responsible for what we are blessed with. Responsible to use blessings wisely, to be thankful, to be generous, to be unselfish.
Responsible to train others in God's ways. (Genesis 18:16-18 )

So we can't just sit back and say 'thank you very much, very grateful' to God for his blessings. We are to use them, putting God's love into action. Saying 'Bless you' is a call to step further into God's goodness, to learn more about his character and his purposes.

A call to growth.

I'm linking to Holley's series on 'In God's heart I am...'.....blessed.