“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.”
—Luke 1:34-38 (ESV)
Every Christian sometimes feels the temptation to walk by sight rather than faith. In those low moments, we struggle to trust God with the future. We don’t want to live “in the dark,” in what feels like mist and fog, confused about what to do, where to go, who to trust, and how to think.
The Christmas story wonderfully refreshes us in that regard. No one in history had a tougher task to understand than Mary, the mother of Jesus. After the angel of the Lord told her she would bear “the Son of the Most High,” she scarcely knew how to respond. Mary’s circumstance was the only one of its kind in history. She had no means to understand what was humanly impossible—she, a virgin, would bear a baby? But the angel helped Mary grasp this reality. The Spirit of God would conceive the baby in her womb, and she would bear “the Son of God” by God’s power.
The truth was too wonderful for words and too impossible to understand. But, as the angel told Mary, “nothing will be impossible with God.” Mary responded to this beautiful message with a simple but profound declaration of faith: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” What a strong statement of faith this was.
Mary was no different from you and me. Just like us, she was a fallen person. She could hardly comprehend God’s plan for her, but she chose to trust the Lord. Mary’s example reminds us to walk by faith. We may sometimes feel small, insignificant, and confused at times, as Mary did, but God is working out His plan in our lives.
Prayer: Father, we rejoice in what You did through Mary. We marvel at how You used such a humble woman as you did! By Your grace, Mary showed tremendous faith and trust. We pray for faith like Mary had. We pray to trust You even when we don’t understand all that You’re doing. We pray that You would use us as humble people for Your glory just as You used Mary. In Jesus’ name, amen.
