I have been pondering today’s scripture for several days. Luke 1:34-38 continues the encounter of Gabriel and Mary. She begins with a question and listens as the angel explains how and why Mary will become pregnant. Amazingly Mary states her unwavering obedience to God before Gabriel leaves her.
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Where is God in this encounter? God is the Sovereign force behind the events happening right then. He is All-Powerful, Omnipotent God who can make the impossible 
happen. But, the attribute that has stuck in my mind is Incomprehensible. Not in our wildest human plans would we have come up with a miraculous birth by a lowly young Jewish maiden to save all mankind. We cannot understand God’s thoughts, plans or ways with our finite minds. His ways are always righteous and good for all people. His ways and plans bless us and glorify Him. Here are a few verses that speak to the incomprehensibility of God:
Job 5:9 “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”
Isaiah 40:28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”
Isaiah 55:8 ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.”
Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “
How big is your God? Mary knew God could do great and impossible things in the world and in her life. She experienced the incomprehensibility of God in her life and accepted it on faith. Can you do that too? When you face hard to deal with questions or situations in life, can you trust in Jesus anyway? Walking with Jesus is a life long journey of learning and discovery as no one can plumb the depths of God’s Word or fully know His character. He wants to teach us to love and trust Him realizing He is incomprehensible and His ways are not our ways.
Linda
Several years ago, I endeavored to see the Christmas story through the lens of God’s attributes knowing that all God ordains reveals His character to us. His plan and will always brings Him glory and us good. I invite you to join me this Advent Season to journey through the scriptures with an eye towards God’s character and see what wonders we can discover about our Almighty God. Jeremiah 33:3 will be my guiding verse this season- “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” I am asking God to reveal His character to us though the Christmas stories. May we be mightily blessed and find out many things that were previously hidden to us.
James 4:8 promises “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” Ephesians 3:12 “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” and Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” These are just a few verses that confirm to us that we can indeed approach God and seek Him through prayer and study. As we draw near to Him this Advent Season, He will meet us just as He has promised.
Last fall I was working on a series based on the names of God. It is essential to our faith to learn as much about God as possible because the more we know God the more we can be assured He is who He says He is and will do all things He promises. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are incomprehensible (an attribute of God) and yet God desires that we know Him. Our finite minds can only take in so much of our omniscient God, but we know from life’s experiences that we can grow and as we do we stretch ourselves to learn more. I love this quote from Daniel 11:32b. Daniel was in a very turbulent time and he wanted to encourage the people that knowing God would give them a firm foundation to withstand the trials of their present day. “
In verse 13 points us to the name of the creator, the Lord who is worthy of all our praise because He is above all, greater than all He created and He alone is worthy of our praise. If we think the creation is wonderful, it is nothing compared to God himself. The creation pales in comparison to the Creator God. This psalm is a call to all of creation to praise the creator and a reminder that He is greater than all.
wonderful.
trials of life bringing about change in our character for good. “
May you find joy in your trials and suffering as God works on your character, a character that will bring you hope!
In Deuteronomy 33:29 the LORD gave 2 names by which God is known- the Glorious Sword and the Shield. Previously I wrote about the Glorious Sword but today my focus is on God’s name-the Shield. “
Ephesians 6:16 “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” God is a Shield against Satan’s arrows or missiles.
As a believer, God promises to be the Shield in your life. American Civil war hero, Stonewall Jackson, claimed God as his shield and was so thankful. How about you? Be encouraged today!
Fearless Living 