Many of us have found ourselves in a place where we have this overwhelming emotion of fear and anxiety caused by a situation far beyond our control. It’s a demoralizing and victimizing place to be. Some find themselves frozen, knowing that nothing they can do will affect the outcome of the situation. So, what can we do? How do we approach this situation? While there are many approaches, I feel I find Mary’s actions in the Gospels quite interesting and comforting.
Amid the week leading to Jesus’ death and resurrection, an interesting scene occurs in Bethany. Mary walks in and anoints Jesus with some very expensive perfume. All three accounts (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; John 12:1–8) tell us that some of the disciples, specifically Judas, were shocked. They claimed that she could have sold the perfume and given it to the poor. Jesus immediately rebukes them and praises her. He says in all three gospels that she had anointed him for burial.
In Mark 14:8, however, we see something interesting. Jesus says, “She has done what she could.” It doesn’t say specifically, but the text seems to suggest that Mary understood what would happen to Jesus. It could be that she was simply more sensitive to his teachings and saw the signs. Maybe the rumors of the Pharisees’ plot were beginning to swell, and it could be that she may have been prophetic. We simply don’t know, but we do know that this action was what she could do. She understood that the events before her were out of her control. She would not be able to stop Jesus’ death. But she could serve Him. She could take what she had in hand and give her best to Him this coming season.
When we experience moments in our lives where we are seemingly powerless to do anything, there is something we can do. We can give our best to Jesus. We can serve Him; we can put our trust in Him. It’s not easy at times. Our minds may race with thoughts; our hearts may flutter with emotions. But during these times, it’s important for us to keep our minds on Christ.
Proverbs 18:10 says:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
This proverb is meant to remind us that we can find security and peace if we run to Christ. It doesn’t mean that the storms of life will suddenly go away. But it does mean that we will make it through.
My encouragement to you for those difficult times is to run to Jesus and serve Him. In a practical sense, that means getting connected to a local body of Bible-based believers and serving. It means digging into the Word of God and spending time in prayer. The enemy wins if we isolate ourselves away from community, stop reading our Bibles, and stop praying.
You can make it through.