Mary’s Yes to God

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Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 (ESV)

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.

Devotion:

            Today’s scripture passage is one of my favorite Christmas stories. Yet it leaves many questions unanswered for me. While I completely empathize with Mary’s fear and amazement at the words of the angel Gabriel. After all it is not every day that an angel pays a visit to a young girl like Mary. Especially bearing the kind of news Gabriel was sent to relay to this seemingly ordinary person like Mary. Announcements like this were supposed to be made to members of royal families with power and wealth.

            God knows what He is doing, however. God knows that this young, humble, virgin is the perfect choice among all the young virgins in Israel to bear His Son. God knows that Mary will say yes to the calling to be our Lord’s mother. She is both humble and obedient in her attitude toward God. It is this attitude that He prizes above all else. In the words of Micah 6:8, “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Mary fulfilled those requirements.

 

            As a result of Mary’s life, God knew that he could count on her “yes” to the assignment to bring Jesus into the world. Has God ever given you an assignment to carry our in your life? If He did could God count on your “yes” to do what God commands. God is counting on hearing yes from his people in these perilous times in which we live. We will not be called to bring God’s Son literally into the world, but we will be called to carry the message of God’s Son into our corner of the world. Can God count on a yes from you?

 

Prayer:

 

Lord, we desire to be obedient and say yes to your call to spread the gospel throughout the world. Help us be humble and open to your call. May we model Mary’s humility and obedience as we seek to live to bring your kingdom into this hurting, broken, and sin-filled world. Amen

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