Today I happened to visit Cyberbrethren where he has posted the article Festival of Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth in which he includes this wonderful artwork displaying the visit of Mary to Elizabeth:
Since he did not give the information crediting the author, I cannot give it at this time either. But it filled my heart with joy to see this representation of this blessed event. This artist truly portrays these women as the Holy Spirit moved them to know and respond to the salvific activity that the Lord was working in and through them.
Upon seeing this artwork my heart was immediately moved to pray, “Oh Lord, how dear Mary must have needed this visit and this encouragement that You provided her through this encounter. Such an unusual and heavy burden she bore as the one through whom You came into the world to save us. Yet this is the joy that You give to those in whom You are at work to save and to bring Your kingdom to mankind!”
I considered these things and thought that this truly is a fitting graphic for July the 4th as the Independence Day celebration. For this surely is the true independence that mankind should happily celebrate.
I find it amazing that according to our sinful nature we look for independence with the mindset that we must set ourselves free from being dependent. But as this wonderful graphic displays, truly joyful independence is being set free to be dependent upon the One who truly loves us and provides all good things for us from above. Like a newborn babe, happily dependent upon mommy and daddy for all good and joyful things, so the regenerated believer in Christ Jesus is happily dependent upon the one true God, having been baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit to live in the perfect and holy Communion of the Lord forevermore.
Christ came into the world to set us free from dependence upon the things that prevent us from partaking of this blessed dependence upon our loving God. For only in trusting Him do we realize the true freedom that our hearts long to know.
God grant us a happy and blessed Independence Day!
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2 comments:
Paul.
Thank you for sharing both the illustration of this beautiful biblical truth; and thanks be to God for the comments which clearly center the beauty of this truth in Christ, even as we consider the portrait f those through whom, in whom, and for whom He entered this world as their Savior and our Savior.
May the LORD God be pleased to preserve each of His people in such blessed dependence on Him in all things at all times. May He also be pleased to spread His secure kingdom of grace to more and more people. Then we and they will profess true freedom, as the Psalm writer precises in 119:41-48, "O LORD, may Your mercy come to me; save me as You promised. Then I'll have an answer for him who insults me, for I trust Your promise. Never take any of the Word of Truth from my mouth because I put my hope in Your regulations. Then I will continually and forever be careful to do what You teach. I will walk in freedom because I have studied how You want me to live. I will speak of Your written truths before kings and not feel ashamed. I delight in Your commandments, which I love; I stretch out my hands for Your commandments, which I love, and meditate on Your laws."
Gary Cepek
Another amazing realization concerning Mary is that she believed even though according to her own reason she did not understand. The accounts of the birth of Jesus make it plain that she did not understand what she saw and believed. The accounts of Mary throughout the ministry of Jesus also demonstrate that she did not understand.
Yet she believed.
This is a miracle, the same miracle of faith that the Holy Spirit works in all who are converted to be made to be true believers. Your quotation of the Psalmist, Gary, shows the same. How marvelous that from Adam through to us and to all who will ever be converted by the Gospel, faith is God's gift that transcends all understanding and saves in spite of the person's own use and misuse of reason.
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