Greetings of peace and joy to you all in the name of Jesus.
What is Faith? The well known answer to this question comes from Hebrews 11:1.
“ Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
The life of a faithful person is completely different from that of a normal person. Faith has brought many fruits in the lives of many people and made them legends. Faith has made them remember for centuries. Faith in God made Abraham to sacrifice his son and made him, Father of Faith (Gen 15: 15-18). This faith has made Moses to break the sea (Ex 14: 26-27). Faith in God made Joshua to break the walls of Jericho ( Josh 6: 20). Faith in God bought victory to the king ( 1 Sam 17: 48-49) and finally faith in Jesus bought healing to the woman suffering from hemorrhage(Lk 8: 48), life to Lazarus ( Jn 11:21), life to Jairus’ daughter ( Lk 8: 50) etc. Finally faith in Jesus made apostles proclaim the good news. So faith has got great importance.
Mary, Most Faithful Woman.
Among many qualities of a faithful person, here I give three qualities of Mary that prove her as a most faithful woman.
Once there was a man called, Blondin. He was crossing the Niagara by walking on a rope. The people, who were watching, clapped their hands and were encouraging Blondin. He successfully crossed one side of the rope. People all clapped and praised him. He then asked the audience, “ Do you all believe that I can go back to the other end by walking on the rope?” People said, “ Yes, you can.” Then Blondin asked again the audience, “Do you all believe that I can cross the river by walking on the rope, holding a man on my shoulders?” People all said, “Yes!” Then Blondin said, “ Then one of you can come to me and climb on my shoulders . So that I can take you to the other end, walking on the rope.” Then there was a great silence. No one believed in him.
1. Believe in God’s Mighty Action.
“Believe, so that you may understand.” A faithful person firmly believes in God’s mighty actions. There are many incidents how God brought victory to the people of Israel, how He saved them from the hand of Pharaoh, how He made them cross the red sea etc. This all we read but there is always a doubt in us. When Blondin called one of them to come to him no one believed in him. When the roots of our beliefs are questioned we too prone to doubt in our beliefs and values an even more we doubt God.
Once there was boy who is very faithful and believes in God’s mighty deeds. On one Sunday while he was praising God with a loud voice, an atheist entered the church hearing the praises of the boy. The man asked the boy why he was praising God. The boy said, My God is so powerful that He parted the red sea into half. Then the man told him, “ Oh! That’s nothing. The red sea was not so deep and great like the seas we see now. It was like a very small pond. Anyone can do that. There is nothing great in your God.” The boy stopped praising God and the man left. After few seconds the boy started praising God even so bigger than before. The man came back and asked, “ Why are you praising again? I said there is nothing great in your God by just splitting the water into two.” The boy replied, “ Yes sir. You may be right. But in that small pond My God drowned the army of Pharaoh and not even one was alive.”
We all hear the great deeds of God from our neighbors and friends but we never believe in them. Even this was seen in the time of Jesus. Some said that Jesus was casting out devil by the help of Beelzebul but really He was casting them out by the finger of God.
This is why Mary is different from us. Mary firmly believed in God’s mighty actions. She believed in the power of God and His mighty deeds. When the angel of God announced the divine plan, she did not doubt but asked how the action would take place. She knew the mighty actions done in the life of Israelite women, like Sarah, Hannah etc. The angel herself gave the example of her cousin Elizabeth. We too hear God’s powerful deeds but we don’t believe them firmly.
2. Believe God’s Mighty Deeds will take place in our life.
When Blondin asked people, Can I cross the rope holding a man on my shoulders, they said Yes. But when he called anyone of them to come to him, none went. This is what happens at the second stage. We all believe the mighty actions of God in the history but lack faith in Him at our troubles and tribulations. Believe Him that he will do great things in your life and your life will become an inspiration. Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mk 9:23. Though the path is difficult God will protect you from all dangers. She believed in God’s actions to be done in her life and it is why she was called blessed among women, “ Blessed is she who believed that there would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” ( Lk 1: 45).
3. Lead a Life Pleasing to God
People who are faithful will lead a life pleasing to God.
There are three important ways of leading a life pleasing to God.
a. Path of complete surrenderance
b. Path of Humility
c. Path of Love
Mary led a life of complete surrenderance. She surrendered herself into the hands of God, so that he would use her in the salvation plan. Secondly though she was called , “Highly favored One of God”, she never regarded for praises and applauses. Instead she was humble enough to call herself as the servant of the Lord. “ I am the servant of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word. “ (Lk 1: 38). Thirdly she trod the path of Love all through her life. She expressed her love to Elizabeth by serving her, she expressed her love to the family at Cana by interceding for them. She showed her love to the world by sacrificing her son on the cross.
Dear friends, Mary is a most faithful woman because she believed in God’s mighty actions in the history, she believed in God’s mighty action and words come true in her life and she led a life pleasing to God. Hence she is called, Virgin, Most faithful. Let us all believe I God’s mighty deeds and also His mighty actions to take place in our lives like Mary. Amen.
Written by
Bro. Rajendra
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