Unconditional Surrender

Unconditional Surrender

Mary

Read: Luke 1:34-38

“Kids! Come downstairs!” Leanne called. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” They had balked and argued when she’d assigned their Saturday chores, but they had soon buckled down. Now Leanne wanted to reward them. “We’re going out for hamburgers!” she said.

“Now? But I’ll miss SpongeBob!”

“Can’t we get pizza instead?”

“Mom, I’m expecting a call from Jenny this afternoon. What time will we be back?”

“I want to stop at the video store, too.”

“I call shotgun!”

“That’s not fair—it’s my turn!”

When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High, she didn’t protest or argue. She had only one question: How will this happen since I’m a virgin? Gabriel explained that God would perform the impossible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary didn’t try to figure out the mystery of a virgin birth. She didn’t stop to ponder how this would affect her life. Mary’s response reveals her heart for doing God’s will: “May everything you have said about me come true.” God had a special assignment for her, and that was all she needed to know at the moment.

Most of us have a tendency to argue with God. If he allows suffering to come into our lives, we ask, “Why me?” When we sense him calling us to do something difficult, we ask “Who, me?” We may want to weigh all the pros and cons before we commit to an answer, but God wants us to demonstrate a steadfast faith and submit to his will even when our minds are full of questions. When it comes to obeying God, the only real question is, Am I willing to fully surrender my life to God’s purposes, as Mary was?

[Mary responded,] “May everything you have said about me come true.”

Luke 1:38