And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Luke 1:56
Have you ever received a promise from God, seen movement toward it, and then everything stalled out? In moments like this, there’s a feeling of excitement and expectancy that sounds like, “Wow! This is really happening!” followed by, well… nothing.
Mary receives the promise of God of the coming Savior, sings a song of rejoicing after the confirmation she receives from Elizabeth, and then she waits. Three months.
Time may fly when you’re having fun, but time does not fly when you are waiting. The forty-five minutes that pass in the first half of your favorite movie seem to fly by. The forty-five minutes that painfully crawl by in the waiting area of the DMV, now that’s another story.
Scripture does not tell us how these three months of remaining with Elizabeth felt. Scripture does not even tell us exactly why Mary waited, nor does it tell us why she decided to return home when she did.* We do know, however, that the promise for Elizabeth and the promise for Mary came to fruition; God did what He said He would do.
God often makes promises to His people, as seen all through Scripture. Maybe God has made a promise to you in your life. How long have you been waiting? Did you see forward motion for a moment, and then find yourself being asked to remain for a while?
In the greater story of Mary, three months really wasn’t long to remain and wait. In the greater story of humanity, three months is a blip in history.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remain. Perhaps today God wants you to remember that your wait for the promise isn’t as long as it feels. Maybe today God wants you to know that He does what He says He will do.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (p. 96). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 56). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 160–161). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, p. 74, 76–77). Word, Incorporated.