In the Gospel of Luke 1 v 46 – 55, we read how Mary rejoices in the knowledge that the Saviour of the world had been conceived in her womb. “For He who is mighty has done great things for me,” she cried, celebrating the goodness of God. At that moment in history, Jesus had not yet saved a single soul. No broken body had been healed by His touch, no demoniac delivered at the sound of His voice. His saving ability and redeeming power were bottled within a simple promise. And yet, Mary rejoiced as if this promise had already been fulfilled.

You see, Mary understood that a God-given promise about the future, may as well be cemented in history. She rejoiced at the seed, before the harvest had even began to peep through the soil. She understood what many Christians today do not. How often are we sceptical at the promises we receive from heaven? Whether the promise is one that the Lord has made to believers in general, or whether the promise is of a more personal nature regarding a specific situation in our lives, we tend to be hesitant in our rejoicing until the promise manifests itself into our reality. Of course, this attitude has the power to cripple the promise, our faith sucked of its ability to pull the word into fulfilment. In addition thereto, such an attitude both robs us of our joy, as well as mocks the faithfulness of God. Let us guard against such a heart condition. Let us, as Mary did, rejoice at the seed with as much exuberance as we will when the harvest comes. Our God is forever faithful, His words are true, His promises sure, His heart overflowing with kindness towards us. If God has promised, He will perform. If God has ordained, it shall come to pass.