Let's Get Cozy and Cry Over Scripture

When the Word makes you weep

Good morning, Reader. Or perhaps good afternoon, good evening, from wherever in the world you’re reading this from. Do you have your coffee? Some tea? Sugar and cream perhaps, or something of the like? Good. A blanket? Even better. I want to read with Word with you.

These days, most of my mornings begin with breastfeeding, diaper changes, and making iced coffee with whatever is left in the pot from my husband after he leaves for work. My quiet rebellion against the Florida summer heat. I’ll put my baby down on her play mat, turn on a YouTube video from a Christian podcast episode, and tend to any chores that need to be done while stopping often to get down on the mat and play with baby girl. Every moment with her is so precious, I long to soak each one up.

I get in the Word during my baby’s first nap of the day. And when the weather outside is not boiling, I’ll strap her to myself in a carrier and go on a prayer walk. But lately, the outside temperature reading in my car says it’s 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Now I don’t know what that is for all you Celsius folks around the world, but let’s all agree that it means it’s 99% hot. So, I’ve been doing all my prayer indoors thankyouverymuch.

Recently, I was in the kitchen making that iced coffee and the host of this podcast began to read out a passage from the gospels. Suddenly, the tears came.

I’ll put the passage below and I encourage you to read it and not scroll passed it. If you’re more eager to read my words than the literal Word of God, the alive and active love letter from the Creator of the Universe to us, well…¹

Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, ⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
⁵² he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Luke 1:26-55

I stood there, frozen in front of the kitchen sink, tears pooling up in the corners of my eyes, and I was so confused. Why am I crying right now? I thought to myself.

Many historians believe Mary was 15 or 16 years old when she had Jesus. Many other historians speculate she was as young as 12 or 14. I imagine a 7th grade girl, maybe a junior in high school at most, wise beyond her years, young enough still for childlike faith. And here, in the most Holy historic book, we have these words of a young teenager, pregnant, a virgin, betrothed to Joseph, in a society where being stoned to death was a normal legal punishment for adultery.

Can you imagine having such faith? Such trust in the Almighty God? That in the face of uncertainty, death penalty, humiliation, and shame from your community, your first response is, “I am a servant of the Lord. May it all come true.”

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” she says, “He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” This section is called Mary’s Song of Praise, and I wish I could’ve seen it.

I imagine her with a bright smile on her face, beaming with praise to God, spewing this joyful monologue onto Elizabeth. Did she giggle in between sentences, unable to contain her joy? Did her arms fly up into the air as mine do when I am gripped from excitement? Were her eyes wide and lit up, as the eyes of young girls often are when they are elated to tell you something? Did Elizabeth smile at this little teenager, in awe, in love, as older women have done to me when I went on tangents rejoicing in God my Savior?

Oh, how I wish I had such an effortless faith like Mary. How I wish I rejoiced through uncertainty, through risk, through fear. How I wish I accepted the Lord’s will for my life without questions.

I wiped my tears, took my coffee to the couch, and stared at my baby. Even I was intimidated by the surge of unpleasant pregnancy symptoms, by the thought of pushing a baby out naturally and unmedicated, the pain I might have to endure, and the grueling recovery that might follow. But Mary? The Word says she submitted, she rejoiced. She didn’t look at fear or the judgement and pain that would inevitably follow. She looked at God, she spoke of His character, she worshipped.

Maybe I teared up because the Holy Spirit moved within me to admire the beauty of Mary’s relentless faith. Maybe I was whisked away to this moment in time with Elizabeth and Mary, and the thought of being in the presence of Jesus, though small and tucked within Mary’s womb, was enough to bring me to tears. Maybe Mary’s joy was just that contagious, even 2,000 years later.

Reader, I am in tears now writing this.

Lord, I want to magnify you. Every day I want to rejoice in You, my Savior. Every day you look to me, your servant. You are indeed so mighty. And you have done great things for me. Holy is Your name. Your mercy is for those who are completely in awe of You. Your majesty, Your power, Your glory, Your justice, Your love. You are strong. You oppose the proud. You humble and exalt the humble.² You feed the hungry, You remain merciful, and goodness gracious You speak to us. You speak to us. I love you, Lord. I’m not asking anything of You, but just for You to know I love you. Amen.

Katie Donohue Tona

---

If you’d like to financially support my work for $5.00 USD per month, from the depths of me, thank you.

Everything pertaining to the sharing of the Gospel on Writing with Jesus is free. There are a handful of benefits as a paid subscriber, but all I truly have to give you in return is my sincere gratitude and giddy excitement that you decided to support financially.

For Paid Subscribers, here’s how I love to say thank you:

• Occasional paid subscriber ONLY posts

• (For Substack users with a publication) A special shout out in our international community chat showcasing your publication simply because we love writers supporting writers.

• For Annual Subscribers (SAVE $10.00 USD) and Founding Members ($51.00+ USD): lifetime access to a catalog of downloadable poster prints to decorate your home and Bible study workbooks (COMING SOON). Check out some examples here!

Feel free to access your paid subscription from this link. Or if you’d like to give just one time, feel free to click the button below.

Praise Jesus and thank you for being here :) For a little more about the person behind the screen, head over here! About Page

1. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

2. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:10

“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:12