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.

THEME OF THE DAY: EVEN WHEN IT MAKES NO SENSE. It could have happened like this. I mean, we find other accounts in scripture of God’s messengers, angels, visiting His people at night so maybe it was so with Mary. She settles in after a long day of chores for a good night’s sleep. All of a sudden, glory enters her bedroom. An angelic figure, his name is Gabriel, appears. No doubt she is startled. Who wouldn’t be? This was no dream. It was real. And if that isn’t enough, he goes on to tell her a whole bunch of stuff that is going to happen to her that makes absolutely no sense. She is going to conceive without having intimate relations with a man. The conception is going to lead to giving birth to a son, and not just any son, but the Son of God – the Creator in her womb and will walk among men. How natural and obvious for this young God-fearing woman to say, “Huh? How can this be?” but her question isn’t filled with obstinate unbelief. She is simply exercising human reasoning and all she just heard makes no sense. Yet . . . and here is the big yet and lesson for us. The angel gives her an explanation which that also made no sense in her finite understanding, but pay very close attention to her response – And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Here is a good paraphrase of her words and an excellent model for us in our walks with the Lord, “Gabriel, this makes no sense to me. It is beyond my comprehension, but I know my role. I am a servant of your Lord and mine. He doesn’t require me to understand His ways but to trust His Word in His ways and I will do that. I trust it will be made plain to me in the proper time.” Friends, that is faith in action; that is God-pleasing submission when we don’t get what is happening in our lives. It is the response of Mary we are to emulate for it takes God at His Word, even when it doesn’t make sense. May we learn to be Mary-like when it comes to God’s working in our lives – “Let it be to me according to Your Word.”

PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I too often want to mix faith with feeling and trust with sight.”

QUOTE: “God never calls us to understand His ways but He does demand that we trust His ways.”