We have no idea where Mary was when Gabriel appeared to her. We don’t know if she saw him standing near her home or out in a field or whether he materialized in her room in the middle of the night. We don’t know if he shined brightly or had the simple appearance of a normal human being. Actually, we don’t even know for sure that Mary realized that Gabriel was an angel at the very beginning. In fact, verse 29 says that she was greatly troubled by the kind of greeting she received from him which seems to indicate that she was trying to discern exactly what kind of a person her visitor was!
Seeing Mary’s consternation, Gabriel delivered the message God had sent him to give to her. By God’s grace she would find herself pregnant and she should name her son Jesus. He will be the great Promised Child, the Son of God, the Eternal King over the house of Jacob. Mary wonders how this could possibly be because she has never had relations with a man. In answer to her question, Gabriel explains that she will become pregnant by a miraculous, powerful act of the Most High God through his Holy Spirit. And, as a sign for Mary, her kinswoman, Elizabeth
Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message demonstrates amazing faith and humility. What she had been told would overturn her world. It would upset all of her plans. It would turn her life irrevocably down a path she had not chosen for herself. Her intended marriage to Joseph is all but ruined! Even if she tried to tell Joseph about Gabriel, how could she ever expect him to believe her? Her reputation would be shredded and her life would be left in tatters. What could she expect? She was a girl who was in the midst of her betrothal and she would be discovered to be pregnant! Surely this was the highest honor any girl could have but did it have to result in such a devastation of her life? She would be mocked and called a liar. Maybe even her parents would cast her out of their home! What was her answer to Gabriel? “Behold the Lord’s servant; may it be done to me as you say.” It did not matter to her that all these things in her life would be affected. God was with her! She would leave them in his hands! She expressed her faith in God, “I am your servant, at your beck and call. Do with me as you see fit! I have always believed in you so I will continue to trust you now!” The Greek word that is used in her response implies a desire for these things to happen to her no matter what the cost!
How does our faith measure up to the faith of this young Jewish girl? Do we say, “Lord, I know you are God and you have a plan for me, but does it have to devastate my life like this?” Do we see ourselves as God’s servants? Can we say, “Do with me as you see fit?” Are we confident of God’s constant presence with us? Are we confident enough to leave everything in his hands? We have trusted him in times of joy and peace. Will we fail to trust him when he steers our lives down paths we never would have chosen for ourselves? And when he has shown us the paths of fire and flood are we able to say, “Yes! May it happen to me the way you have planned it?” What peace that would be! What joy to know that God is at the helm and that he guides us unerringly! Have you trusted God? Have you entrusted your life to his care? Do you have this assurance that your life is guided by God for good?
No comments:
Post a Comment