He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors. —Luke 1:54–55
The final book of the Old Testament ends with threats of a curse, with warnings of the judgment of God (Mal. 4:5–6). And that’s where He left the world hanging for four hundred years.
Then centuries later, an angel foretold the birth of John the Baptist and also appeared to Mary. The forerunner of the Messiah was coming. The Christ child, prophesied of old, would be born as a baby.
Generations of Old Testament believers had lived and died without seeing the fulfillment of the promises God had made in ages past. The easiest conclusion to draw was that He had abandoned His program, that His faithfulness was at an end.
But Mary knew differently. She was there when the blessing God had decreed to Abraham came to life inside her teenage body. And having been there, she could know by faith that the things spoken to Abraham long ago would continue into the future, thawing the effects of the curse to “his descendants forever.”
Make it Personal
Who in your life needs to be encouraged that God’s promises are for sure? How can you help remind them of His trustworthiness?