Have you been there? Have you been to the point when words will not form as you try to pray? Have you been so overwhelmed with all that life is for you that all you do is cry “help me” as the tears run down your face? Are you there right now? The words to Amy Grant’s song “Breath of Heaven” express my feelings tonight perfectly. It’s called “Mary’s Song” because it is written from the perspective of young Mary, mother of Jesus, as she was carrying Him in her womb. “Help me be strong…Help me be…Help me.”

For the last several years, and especially during the Christmas season, Mary, the mother of Jesus has been on my heart. I’ve spent much time thinking about her, and reading about what life must have been like for her. There is actually very little about her in Scripture, but there is much that we can glean from what is written and from history.

If Mary was a typical Jewish girl from a typical Jewish family she would have been waiting and praying for the Messiah to come, just as devout Jews do today. But, I imagine her to be taken quite off guard when He did come, and directly to her no less. She was, most likely, very young. History would place her at about 12-16 years old. She was betrothed, or engaged to be married to a young carpenter named Joseph. He was most likely a teenager as well. Betrothal was much more serious than today’s engagement period. It was a formal agreement or marriage where she would technically be considered Joseph’s wife. The actual marriage and consummation of the agreement usually took place about a year after the betrothal contract. It was during this time that the angel, Gabriel, told her that she was expecting.

Most assume that this would be a joyful pronouncement to Mary, but the Bible depicts her as being confused, as she was yet a virgin. She humbly accepts the responsibility upon Gabriel’s assurance that “nothing is impossible to God.” I have often wondered if the seriousness of her situation dawned upon her at this time or if it took a while for the full weight of this calling to sink into her mind and heart. This great honor, to be the mother of the Christ child, was quite literally a death sentence. Mary was considered legally married. A woman in her state that was found with child could very easily be publicly stoned for her unfaithfulness to her betrothed. She would be considered an adulteress. The other option would be for Joseph to divorce her quietly, saving her and her family from open shame. (Although I’m sure the gossip chain of their day would do plenty enough damage, as it would today.) Matthew 1:18-25 explains that it was Joseph’s obedience to the word of the Lord through a dream that caused him to reject “the norm” and to take Mary as his wife. This act would bring shame upon him as well, causing people to assume that it was he that had gotten Mary into this predicament before their marriage was official. It would be quite easy to count back from the birth of a child to a wedding day and figure out that not everything added up as it should.

Put yourself in Mary’s sandals for a moment. You are a young bride. You have your whole life ahead of you. Your husband is a just man—one that any woman would gladly marry. You come from a good home. Your parents are proud of the godly woman that you are becoming. You are diligently preparing for the day that your betrothed takes you into his home. You dream of the children that you will raise together and the happiness fills your soul. Until one day—everything changes. You are visited by an angel who tells you that you are with child by the Holy Ghost. “Maybe I’m dreaming,” you wonder. After a sound pinch or two you confirm that you are awake and the being in front of you is not a figment of your imagination or the result of an upset stomach. You have been given a heavenly responsibility. You have been called to raise the Son of God. But wait…what will your parents think? Will they believe you? What about your brothers and sisters? Will they ridicule you? Will they think you’ve lost your mind? Will your parents disown you? And what about Joseph? Will he have you stoned? Will he have mercy and only divorce you? But what if he does? Where will you go? How will you care for a child alone? An angel has appeared to you, but not to those at the temple or in the town square. Who will believe that you are to be the virgin mother of the Messiah? How will you bear the shame, the reproach, the lies? How will you convince them that the One they have been waiting for, praying for, has come in the form of a baby—your Son?

Each time I think of all that this young woman must have endured, my heart breaks for her. And this was just the beginning of her sorrow. Yes, there would be joy along the way. Kissing the forehead of your newborn child and the Savior of your soul would bring joy unspeakable, I’m sure. But in just 30 short years, she would have to give her Son over to a harsh and unbelieving world to be mocked, ridiculed, slandered, rejected, hunted, and eventually, 3 very short years later, tortured and killed. The thought gives new meaning to the term “broken-hearted.”

I wonder, who will be reading these thoughts of mine and at that same moment feel very much like Mary of old? What has God asked of you, dear friend, that seems more than you can bear? What burden weighs heavy on your thoughts? What road seems so impossible to walk that you can’t imagine arriving at a destination—you can only gather enough strength to take the next step? Perhaps you are in a difficult marriage, your child is away from the Lord, you have to work two and three jobs to make ends meet, you have an incurable disease or you’ve found yourself awaiting the arrival of an unplanned child yourself?

We all have burdens to bear. Some are heavier than others, but each has been specifically designed for us by a God that loves us and has chosen us for the task. Just as God chose the young woman who would carry His most precious Son, so God has hand-picked you for the trial that you face today. It may seem to you more of a curse than a blessing. It may seem impossible as Mary’s burden seemed to her that day so many years ago. But, heaven’s perspective is always quite different from our own. In the words of the angel, Gabriel, “Do not be afraid, [your name], for you have found favor with God…For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Nothing is impossible…with God. Nothing. With God. The fact remains that we cannot do the impossible. We are fragile, weak, emotionally ravaged human beings that sometimes can barely get out of bed in the mornings. But…with…God…nothing is impossible. If we look at our circumstances we can easily be so overwhelmed that we turn to drinking, drugs, sleep aids, food, friends, [fill in the blank] and we check out of our responsibilities, or even check out of our lives, in despair. Dear friends, God didn’t choose you to fail under the weight of a crushing burden. God chose you to carry it gracefully, walking in His strength, in complete surrender to the circumstances that He has placed you in, to be a vessel of His glory—to carry His message to a lost and dying world. Romans 12:1 tells us that we are to be a living sacrifice, just as Mary was. She gave her hopes, her dreams, her very life to God in sweet humility and accepted the task God called her to. Her response, recorded for us in Luke 1:46-49 was, “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.”

I was speaking to a woman at church a few weeks ago who shared with me a special memory of her mother. She recalled to me how she would watch her mom churn butter on the front porch and sing sweet hymns like, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…” as she worked. This precious woman told me how her mother always wore a sweet smile even though her face was battered and bruised from her husband’s angry blows. Things were tough in that little household and that young mother could have easily turned away from God and ran away from her circumstances, but instead she carried her burden with grace and a smile. That young mother influenced her daughter in a way that she couldn’t have imagined. That little girl now has grandchildren of her own, and she and her family are in church today, I am quite certain, because of the wife and mother that trusted in God to take care of her despite her circumstances.

Will you be like these women? Will you take your burdens to the Lord of All today and trust Him to do the impossible through you? He doesn’t ask you to walk your path alone. He only asks you to surrender your will and your plans to Him—He will do the rest through you. And in doing so, you will be blessed and those around you will be too. It may not seem like it will ever turn out right to you. I’m sure Mary often wondered what God’s plan was for her and her Son—but we know the rest of the story. I don’t know that Mary fully understood while she was on this earth, but as she watches God’s plan of salvation unfold in our lives from her heavenly position today, I’m sure she understands perfectly. I’m also quite sure that she would do it all over again, with the understanding that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 12:28)

Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)
By Amy Grant

I have traveled many moonless nights
Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I’ve done
Holy Father you have come
And chosen me now
To carry your son

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

[Chorus:]
Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy
Breath of heaven

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be…
Help me…

Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy
Breath of heaven

Click here to read a commentary entry on Luke chapter 1: The Announcement of the Birth of Jesus to Mary

Click here to listen to “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)”