“God has remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.” Luke 1:51–55
Heavenly Father, memory is such a “tricky” thing. Some things we remember with photographic precision—like how people hurt and the mistakes they make. Other things we forget way too easily—like the Gospel, who we are in Jesus, and how much you love us. Today we’ll try to remember where we put our keys, if we took our meds, and fed our pets. Our memory isn’t perfect, but hallelujah, yours is.
Mary sang about Jesus’ birth as the day you “remembered to be merciful.” Indeed it is, for Jesus is the emphatic “Yes!” to every promise you’ve made (2Cor.1:20). You made promises to Abraham you alone could keep. One of those promises was to create a nation (Israel) from Abraham that would be the “national womb” for the Messiah—your own Son. Faithful to your Word, in the fullness of time and grace, your sent Jesus to us, for us. And, hallelujah, you’re going to do that again.
This means providence—your Fatherly sovereignty—gets the first, middle, and last word in everything. There’s no panic in heaven, only peace—no lapse in your memory, just the perfection of your timing. The stars don’t have to “line up.” Nobody has to “play their cards right.” You’ve left nothing to chance, but all things to Jesus.
Abba, thank you for working in all things for our good all the time. Help us remember this, no matter what our Christmas is like this year. Until the Day you finish making us like Jesus and fill the earth with your glory, thank you for daily mercies, sufficient grace, and your non-stop care. So Very Amen.