8 July 2013 - proclaim his ways

8 July 2013 - proclaim his ways

and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Not all of these experiences are wonderful consolations.  She tells us that she and Joseph worry because they do not know where Jesus is.  It isn't that they don't trust him.  But the plan of salvation is not yet fully revealed to them.  Perhaps they have a sense that he will be taken from them for three days just as he is here.  After all, burial oil is among the gifts they receive at his birth.  But then instead of three days teaching the teachers in the temple it will be three days preaching to the souls in purgatory.  Mary doesn't fully know this yet but she moves forward with trust keeping everything that Jesus does in her heart.  No doubt part of the LORD's intention here is to prepare Mary for his cross and resurrection.  She cooperates by keeping in her heart the way the LORD works with her.  The patterns of his loving plan instruct her and help her to recognize the apex of this plan when it comes.

This is one reason why it is so important to give thanks to God for all he does in us.

Before all the living,
acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,
by blessing and extolling his name in song.
Honor and proclaim God’s deeds,
and do not be slack in praising him.

When we are so richly blessed we must keep such things in our hearts.  The enemy wants to take memories like this from us and make us only remember trials.  He wants us to be disheartened and to give up.  But if we proclaim his praises then his deeds will be further cemented in our memory.  We will come to have greater trust that he is working in our lives even in the shadow of the cross when such consolations are far from us.

Jesus is always working to bring the Father's plan to fulfillment.  But at times we don't understand and seem to be alone.  We are not.

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.

Even amidst our trials let us praise him.  Let that praise increase our trust in him so that he is free to bless us and bring us home to the Father's house.

In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.