Luke 1:30-38: Characters of Christmas: Mary

Daily Devotional Bible Verses

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. (Luke 1:30-38 ESV)

Imagine for a moment how these words must have sounded to a teenage peasant girl. She has saved herself for her marriage day . She is betrothed to an honorable man who is preparing for her to become his bride. And suddenly,here you are; you know you’re a virgin… you’re going to become pregnant despite the fact you haven’t had sex… and by the way, the baby boy growing inside of you is the Messiah, the promised One, the Son of God, the Ruler of the Universe.

We can only imagine the questions going through young Mary’s mind.
How can I raise the Son of God?
What do I tell my family?
What do I tell Joseph?
How will people treat me?

One thing we do know for certain is her response: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary took the posture of an obedient servant. Mary was confident in the midst of what seemed to be an impossible situation and an overwhelming task that God would do what He said He would do. What an incredible example.

When it comes to your faith…
Do you believe what seems humanly unbelievable?
Are you open to God doing the unexpected?
Do you take God at His word even when everything else would say not to?