From “The Virgin Mary” by Martha Wilcox –
“[S]acred history tells us that in this province of Galilee, and among the common people, was a little group of metaphysical thinkers. Right in the midst of this dense materialistic thinking of the upper class, was this little group, this remnant of Israel who practiced pure and undefiled religion. They taught and practiced the most beautiful moral precepts. In fact, they were full of light in that black night of materialism….
“This little remnant of Israel was undiscouraged for Israel’s deliverance. Their faith in God was unshaken by the blood ravages of Rome. They worshipped the true God of all the religions of that day; none approached the Hebrew religion in purity of doctrine or cleanness of life as shown forth by this little group of metaphysicians.”
The important point here is that this remnant was working and watching from a place of victory, not victimhood. As they grew spiritually, their sense of victory having already been achieved became more real to them than the wretchedness of their physical circumstances. Thus, they gradually removed themselves from the place of emotionally bingeing on how bad things were, the place of powerless complaining and crying out to God. Over time they were filled, with genuine gratitude and appreciation — and even breathless expectancy — for the new outpouring of Light coming upon the earth, calling those “things that be not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17.)
They filled themselves with an ever-increasing sense of “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be [against us].” (2 Kings 6:16.) They overwhelmed their doubts by storming them with the promises of God, such as Psalm 27, Psalm 91, and all the songs of the prophets proclaiming the kingdom of God. They watched and prayed from the perspective of glory, not discouragement. This was spiritual warfare waged from the mindset of “It-is-finished: the battle is the Lord’s and it’s already won,” not a far-off victory, but here and now, accepted as a foregone conclusion. (1 Samuel 17:47, 2 Chronicles 20:17.) As Rebecca Greenwood has said, “We pray not for victory, but from victory.”
This is how a little remnant changed history, brought the Light of Christmas to a darkened world.