Luke 1:26-38
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end."
And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
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. 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. For nothing will be impossible with God." 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..."
There are MANY things to learn from just this portion. I could probably write a new blog post about many different sentences in the passage. What struck me the most was honestly Mary’s response to Gabriel. She did ask one question...”How will this be, since I am a virgin?” I’m sure she was a bit confused and wondering how this could even happen. Gabriel explains what will happen next and how the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of God Himself will perform the miracle of placing His own son into her womb. He then tells Mary of a miracle being done in Elizabeth, in her own family! A barren woman is having a child! God opens and closes the womb...barren or in this case the womb of a virgin. “For NOTHING is impossible with God.” Mary’s response is amazing to me....“Behold, I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
No more questions...no BUT’s...no “are you sure?”...just an attitude of a servant. She completely obeys and submits to what God has called her to do. Considering her age, the betrothal to Joseph, the questions raised by her family and her town that are sure to follow.....YET, she obeys.
Oh, Lord...may I be Your servant and be obedient like this dear young girl, Mary. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
So true! May we all be more obedient, willing to go where he has called us, no questions asked! Thanks for sharing!
So loved Mary’s response . . . so beautiful – her heart – so willing – so faithful – yet she was quiet and meek and through that she exhibited great strength. Thanks for your thoughts, Jen . . . so good!!