Unforgettable Experiences and Christ’s Coming

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is his name." Luke 1:46-49

Listening to the excited words of Mary, you cannot tell me that this was not one of the most unforgettable experiences in her life. Many things may have happened to her during the few years before she became pregnant with Jesus, but I do not think anything compared with the height of exhilaration and honor she experienced from this event. In fact she said as much herself; “generations will call me blessed.” And she acknowledges that it was not that she had been so perfect or faithful, but “the Mighty One has done great things for me, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.”I know that for Mary, this was an unforgettable experience. An experience that no doubt remained etched in her memory until her dying day.

If we contemplate on the journey we have traveled thus far, I am sure we can think of a few unforgettable experiences. Some may have been good, some bad, but we will never forget them. They divide our lives. Periodically, we reflect on those experiences - something that happened to us that changed us, altered our life agenda, became turning points and we will never forget.

What about some of the experiences we have had in our lives in which God delivered us. Two men walking down the street, one man shot and killed and the other man saved, unforgettable. It happens all the time. Four passengers riding in an automobile are in an accident, the car is totaled, three killed and one walk away without a scratch, unforgettable. The Titanic sinks, 1,517 dies and 706 survive, unforgettable. Think about planes crashes and people who have lived to tell about it, unforgettable. We cannot go through experiences like these and remain the same.

I am not referring to experiences we have that has no affect on us. We have many experiences that are more or less regular or general. But occasionally God lets a special experience into our life. Every now and then, we face an "exception to the rule" kind of experience. I do not care how cool we are, how stony our heart or how tough we think we are. When the special experience comes our way, it will shake the very foundation on which we stand.

Many of us have had some of those special experiences. I remember the time when during a horrible snowstorm I was driving back home to Michigan from seminary in Ohio and fell asleep at the wheel. God woke me up just in time to prevent an accident. I still shudder to think about "what might have been." As calm as I normally am, something balled up on the inside of me and I had to tap into God’s breath reservoir. I praised God and I still praise Him. This was for me, an unforgettable experience.

It was unforgettable not only because God awakened me to avoid the danger that lied ahead, but also because I became more acutely aware of the gift of “breath.” The Psalmist gets to the crux of the matter. He describes the greatness of God and how all things are made and given by Him. Near the end of this psalm he says, “when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.” God gives us breath and He takes it away. Think about it. All God has to do is hold the breath and we return to the dust. What a mighty God He is and how faithful He is. When I got up this morning, it was only because God supplied some breath. Even as I write this hub, He is feeding me breath. Let us not take our breath for granted.

On many occasions, God has to let us experience certain crisis to get our attention. Man has a proclivity to think we have it made, that we have arrived, to take His blessings for granted and need to be reminded that we are mortals, we are finite, and we are decaying flesh and blood. We are not iron or steel and we are not superman or superwoman.

So, there are some experiences that are unforgettable. That is why Mary and Elizabeth are beside themselves with joy. It was a celebration of the coming Lord. God had done something in a powerful way. It was an unforgettable experience and her song of praise was a testimony.

The testimony today is that the Lord is coming again. And, something tells me it is going to be an unforgettable experience. Come, Lord Jesus, Come.