Hearing His Voice #355

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Luke 1:38

This couldn’t have been easy news for Mary to hear. Like most girls, she surely had dreams about marriage and family, and they probably didn’t include a scandalous pregnancy that would appear immoral to everyone around her. What was she thinking when the angel told her she would conceive God’s Son by His Spirit? The honor and privilege could not have escaped her, but neither could the potential shame in the eyes of her family and community. How could she explain a once-in-forever phenomenon and expect people to believe her? Most wouldn’t. She would begin her marriage to Joseph with a child on the way. And she wouldn’t be publicly vindicated until several decades had passed and it became clear who Jesus was.

Nevertheless, Mary accepted the awesome, traumatic words without complaint. She affirmed them as true. She didn’t hesitate at the enormous cost to herself; she simply complied with God’s stated will. Being chosen by God usually involves both an immense privilege and a great sacrifice, and many of us focus on the latter rather than the former. But Mary embraced the news that this assignment was given to her because she was highly favored. And this response gives us a glimpse into why she was chosen. She was ready to serve God in whatever instructions He gave.

There is no better illustration of how to listen to God than this. He loves to hear a heart say “yes” before it understands the details, even when He upsets our plans with something bigger and stranger than we can grasp. Mary could not possibly have envisioned all that the rest of her life would entail, but she didn’t need to. God favored her with His plan, and her answer demonstrates why. She accepted the impossible simply because it was God’s word.

Father, may everything You’ve said about me and to me, from all eternity past until now, come to pass exactly as You have said. I accept it—even before I know it and understand it.