LUKE 1:30-38 – “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: MARY-LIKE FAITH.  The mother of our Lord Jesus, Mary, is a wonderful picture of childlike faith.  Just imagine what was racing through this young woman’s mind.  An angel comes to her and says, “Mary, you have found favor with the Lord.  You are going to give birth and the baby will be the Son of God.”  Mary is overwhelmed – “How can this be? I am a virgin. I have not known a man.”  The angel continues, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will conceive.”

How would we respond?  There are only two options. First, we let human reason guide us which takes us to an unbelieving heart.  A virgin pregnant?  Not possible.  The other option is to follow Mary’s example.  She refused to let what didn’t make sense humanly lead her to deny the message from God – And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

What do we learn from Mary? Two lessons.  The first is the application of Solomon’s instructions in his third Proverb – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Don’t let what we don’t understand hinder our trust in the Lord.  Remember these truths from the prophet Isaiah – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).

The other lesson is trust in what the Lord says, not what we see, think or reason.  Mary submitted in child-like faith saying, “Let it be to me according to your word.”   God accomplishes His will and purposes in His world and the lives of His children by His Word.  His Word is to be trusted all the time.  Why? The One whose Word it is, is always trustworthy.

Mary-like faith.  It honored the Lord and as we follow her example, we shall honor Him too by relying upon Him according to His Word.

PRAYER: Lord, may I have faith like Mary; child-like in its trust in Your Word.

REFLECTION:  God’s Word is worthy to be trusted because it is the Word of Him who is trustworthy.