INSPIRASUNS

This morning, as I was thinking about this past week, I thought about all the ways that the fallen one tried to disrupt plans. Boy, he was active; that is for sure. He found little cracks and went to work to make them craters. He tried to plant seeds of doubt. He tried to sew feelings of anger deep within. He tried to cast a net of jealousy, and he even tossed in arrogance and pride along the way. Then again, he does that every week- well, every day, doesn’t he?

The question is, when do we recognize his noodling and say stop? Powering through, trusting in our Lord to guide us, is of course the best defense. But…yes, we are human, and sometimes we aren’t as good at it as we should be.

This morning, I received the text from our Priest friend; he shared a perfect example of how to remain strong through the difficulties. His example was Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Just think of what Father asked Mary to do. He asked her to bring the Son of God into the world in human form. Can you imagine that ask?? She knew she would be ridiculed; what in the world would Joseph think? How could she ever raise God’s Son properly? As my friend said, satan began to work on her just like he did Eve. But…Mary never faltered. She followed Father’s plan beautifully. She trusted, and though she bore incredible pain watching her son be brutally beaten and put to death before her, she trusted.

There is a beautiful prayer in our Book of Common Prayer known as the Magnificat. This is Mary’s response when she meets Elizabeth, and Elizabeth says, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb”. I want to share the Magnificat here with you today as a reminder that we are not alone and we can indeed be strong against the attacks of the fallen one. In the words of Mary…

The Magnificat
My soul doth magnify the Lord, *
    and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded *
    the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold from henceforth *
    all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me, *
    and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him *
    throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
    he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
    and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
    and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, *
    as he promised to our forefathers,
    Abraham and his seed for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Friends, when you muster those ugly feelings that make satan happy, think of Mary. Think of this prayer. Better yet, stop and say it a time or two. I guarantee you that the fallen one will walk on to someone else 🙂 . Don’t let him win; he isn’t worth it. Give your time and energy to Jesus, the greatest gift ever given to us.

Have a good day, friends; may it be filled with family, friends, laughter, and love 🙂 .