I love the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Bible. When the angel announced to her the astounding news that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus, she believed God.
Luke 1:46-55
Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat And Mary said,”My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

When Mary’s life was being changed forever…When she was about to face some very difficult circumstances, she chose to believe God and worship Him. There are times in ministry, that our lives take some unbelievable turns. Sickness may come out of nowhere. People may leave. Plans don’t always turn out the way we had hoped. Things happen that threaten our sense of well-being. When this happens, we can take encouragement from the fact that nothing surprises God, and we have a choice. Today,we can let the enemy take away our peace and hope in God, or we can intentionally, by faith say “I don’t know what is happening, Dear Lord, but I am choosing to believe You. I have been following You for a long time. People and plans may have let me down, but You, O Lord, have never failed. I place my trust in You… just like Mary, I believe that You will fulfill what You have promised.”
“Dear Lord, We come to You today asking You to fill our friends in ministry with hope and confidence…that You will fulfill what You have started. You have called us and we pray that You will speak to each of us and strengthen us… Please give us a new level of faith,hope, love and confidence in You. Who will we believe? The enemy of our souls or You- who have the words of life? As we face this new year, may we worship you with all of our hearts and believe you.”