God of the unexpected | CRL Australia

Recently my husband and I celebrated the 33rd anniversary of our engagement. That morning as I was in prayer, I was led to worship with the song "Be Born in Me” by Francesca Battistelli, and I wish to share with you all what The Lord spoke to my heart during that time I spent with Him.

The Blessed Mother was betrothed to St Joseph after much discernment and prayer. She must have been dreaming about her wedding, which is a big event in any culture, and definitely so among the Jews. She would have been planning her life with St Joseph, in accordance to the Will of God to which she had said ‘yes’ all her life.

Then occurred the most unexpected! A visitor from heaven, a messenger of God Himself, announcing an extremely extraordinary piece of news and promised an unimaginable future. Her worshiping heart responded before Her common sense and rational mind could sway her- “May your word to me be fulfilled “ (Luke 1:38)

She hurried to the hill country of Judea, to Elizabeth her cousin, still basking in the glory of the Annunciation, rejoicing in The Goodness of God. Through the Magnificat we learn what Her spirit felt and endured during these exciting moments within His Divine Will.

Three months into her pregnancy, The Virgin Mary, returns home to the real life… to the realities of life that she was not warned about, to the pages of the story unspoken by the angel, but still very much known to The One who planned everything- God Himself.

She had to wait patiently for her betrothed to finally agree to take her to his home. She would have had to wade through floods of questions, ridicule, sarcasm, humiliation and judgment by those around Her. What about her own plans and dreams? What about the wedding she had excitedly planned? Were these whims and dreams that were no longer possible? Were these to vanish before her very eyes, because she was now with a child? Whose child? God’s child. Who would believe this? Could anyone understand her circumstance?

I felt that my whole life since the day of my Baptism, has been a time of preparation under the watchful eye of The Blessed Mother, a time to surrender my heart fully to her son Lord Jesus as I received The Baptism of The Holy Spirit in 2008. That encounter marked the beginning of a journey, the awakening of my spirit, the blossoming of intimacy with The Lord, and a shift from driver’s seat to the passanger’s seat as I allowed the The Holy Spirit to take the wheel and lead my life.

As the journey continues through hills and valleys, green pasture and desert, I sing with The Blessed Mother, “I am not brave.. the only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy; I am just a girl, nothing more; I am willing, I am Yours”.

The Blessed Mother allowed herself to be the first disciple of her Son, accepted everything from the Hands of The Father. She beheld The Word in her womb, The Word that was then made flesh, and the Son of God beheld her in His heart as she walked to Calvary and stood by the foot of the cross at Golgotha, where all promises given through the angel Gabriel seemed to be crumbling down and fading away. Through it all, she held on to The Father, Son and The Spirit as she waited upon the promises; she waited in faith until she witnessed the resurrection, ascension and Pentecost, and saw each of those promises being brought into fulfillment in the most unimaginable way by The God of the unexpected!

It is the same grace she asks and receives on behalf of all of us her earthly children, for it is God Himself who chooses each of us to be His, to love Him and to serve Him. Like beautiful Mary, we too will find our plans and dreams being modified or even nullified, but even losing it all is worth it as we gain more and more of Him.

This is her promise to you and me…