Mary Had It Right

Have you ever seen anything like it? This sentiment could apply to most anything these days—natural disasters concerning the weather—tornadoes and floods, earthquakes, or violence, unrest and turmoil in this nation, or, surprise! this year’s presidential election. Most of us would likely say, “No. This is the worst it has ever been.” But, truly, is it? There have been times before this that the world has seen unbelievable things.

One of the greatest disasters to happen on this earth was the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. that annihilated the city of Pompeii. At the time, 20,000 people called that place home. In two days though, 2,000 residents died, their bodies found centuries later by archeologists where they had fallen.

Another example is the reign of the Roman emperor, Nero. Known for depravity of the greatest degree and persecution and murders of Christians, his 13-year stint as ruler of Rome led to the end of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, which had ruled in Rome since 27B.C.¹

This 2016 presidential race is an odd duck to say the least, but other questionable elections have preceded this one. Look at the rivalry between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in the 1828 race for the White House. Even though John Quincy was an elitist and the son of John Adams, who was instrumental in the creation of the Declaration of Independence, and Andrew Jackson a military hero, “…both men would have wild stories circulated about their pasts, with lurid charges of murder, adultery, and procuring of women being plastered across the pages of partisan newspapers.”²

So, what am I trying to say here? Certainly not that everything today is copacetic because that couldn’t be farther from the truth. But the Scripture from Ecclesiastes 1:9 “There is nothing new under the sun,” holds true for all of life.  

The world has seen such madness before and sadly it will again. We can let it disconcert, tumble, rattle, shock and trouble us. Or we can take refuge in the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (See Hebrews 13:8.)

Mary was the sister of Martha and Lazarus. We don’t know her exact history except that she was a sinner who wiped Jesus’s feet with her tears and hair and anointed Him with perfume from an alabaster jar. (See John 11:2.) Even in front of the people “in the know”—the Pharisees—she knew that at Jesus’s feet was the place to be. And that’s where we need to be, too.

 

Mary Had It Right
Words and Music by Kim Bryant (Palmer) and Jeff Nelson
©2004 HeartService Music, Inc (admin. byMusic Services)

Mary had it right,
When she chose the better part,
To sit with You awhile,
And listen to Your heart.
I just need to be with You,
And gaze into Your eyes,
There’s no place I’d rather be than sitting at Your feet.
Mary had it right.

Chorus
Draw me, oh gentle one.
Push away my fear like mist before the sun.
Draw me, to Your heart.
There let my heart reside,
As I gaze into Your eyes.

Mary had it right.
When she chose to leave behind.
The worries of the world,
Like all she had was time.

Oh Jesus still my heart,
And calm my anxious mind,
There’s no place I rather be
Thank sitting at Your feet.
Mary Had It Right.

Chorus (repeat)

1. History.com Staff. “Nero.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 May 2016.

2. “Why the Election of 1828 Was the Dirtiest Ever.” About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.