The Faith of Mary
Waiting for Light to Come | Erik Reed
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 1:38 (ESV)
The angel Gabriel visited a young girl named Mary (Luke 1:26-38). He tells her not to be afraid, but that she has found favor with God. Why do you imagine Gabriel assured her not to be afraid? Because Mary didn’t have regular encounters with angels. This experience terrified her. The angel assures her and tells her she will conceive and bear a son. His name will be Jesus. The child will be great and called Son of the Most High. He will sit on the throne of his father David and the reign of his kingdom will have no end.
This is great news, right? Mary should be excited, right? Her response is a question: How? How is this going to happen, since she is a virgin? She’s unmarried and has never been with a man. Gabriel explains that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and overshadow her. Her conception will be miraculous. But above all, it will be from God. He tells her, “Do not be afraid.” This injunction isn’t just because of his presence, but also because of his message. This is the work of God.
After Gabriel explains this, and her cousin Elizabeth’s situation to her, he reminds her that nothing is impossible with God. The God of the universe is not hindered or restrained by anything or anyone. Our God is in the heavens, and He does all that He pleases (Psalm 115:3). Mary responds to Gabriel with these awe-inspiring words, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Our passage today brings us face-to-face with the faith of Mary. She doesn’t understand everything about what God is about to do. She doesn’t know the mechanics of how it is going to happen (we still can’t explain her conception with mechanical precision). We know, by how the Gospels unfold she didn’t grasp the full picture of the child she would carry in her womb. But here is what we know from our passage today: she submitted to, and believed, God’s word.
In our lives, we don’t always know why God is doing what He does. We don’t know the mechanics of how God is going to work something out or keep His promises. We often lack the clarity of how our circumstances will ripen in God’s wise purposes and plans. But we can, and should, imitate the faith of Mary. She was willing for what God said to shape her response. She didn’t have to know everything in order to submit to what God told her. We can too. Mary’s faith, as she discovered the Lord had chosen her to carry the Savior in her womb, is a testament to us, that we too can trust the Lord in the circumstances of our lives. We can say with Mary, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Questions for Reflection
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
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 1:38 (ESV)
The angel Gabriel visited a young girl named Mary (Luke 1:26-38). He tells her not to be afraid, but that she has found favor with God. Why do you imagine Gabriel assured her not to be afraid? Because Mary didn’t have regular encounters with angels. This experience terrified her. The angel assures her and tells her she will conceive and bear a son. His name will be Jesus. The child will be great and called Son of the Most High. He will sit on the throne of his father David and the reign of his kingdom will have no end.
This is great news, right? Mary should be excited, right? Her response is a question: How? How is this going to happen, since she is a virgin? She’s unmarried and has never been with a man. Gabriel explains that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and overshadow her. Her conception will be miraculous. But above all, it will be from God. He tells her, “Do not be afraid.” This injunction isn’t just because of his presence, but also because of his message. This is the work of God.
After Gabriel explains this, and her cousin Elizabeth’s situation to her, he reminds her that nothing is impossible with God. The God of the universe is not hindered or restrained by anything or anyone. Our God is in the heavens, and He does all that He pleases (Psalm 115:3). Mary responds to Gabriel with these awe-inspiring words, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Our passage today brings us face-to-face with the faith of Mary. She doesn’t understand everything about what God is about to do. She doesn’t know the mechanics of how it is going to happen (we still can’t explain her conception with mechanical precision). We know, by how the Gospels unfold she didn’t grasp the full picture of the child she would carry in her womb. But here is what we know from our passage today: she submitted to, and believed, God’s word.
In our lives, we don’t always know why God is doing what He does. We don’t know the mechanics of how God is going to work something out or keep His promises. We often lack the clarity of how our circumstances will ripen in God’s wise purposes and plans. But we can, and should, imitate the faith of Mary. She was willing for what God said to shape her response. She didn’t have to know everything in order to submit to what God told her. We can too. Mary’s faith, as she discovered the Lord had chosen her to carry the Savior in her womb, is a testament to us, that we too can trust the Lord in the circumstances of our lives. We can say with Mary, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Questions for Reflection
- Why does the angel tell Mary not to be afraid?
- What reasons does Mary have to let fear grab hold of her heart?
- Why is our passage today such a good picture of faith?
- How does Mary display incredible faith?
- What examples in our own lives can we take from Mary’s response to the angel?
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
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