Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word,” And the angel departed from her. — Luke 1:38, NKJV

 

Mary’s reply to the angel Gabriel’s announcement of her soon-coming motherhood must rank among the greatest statements of faith contained in all of scripture. What a powerful response to, in human terms, an impossible thought!

Mary, most likely a mere teen, is chosen to be the one who would carry and deliver the Baby Jesus into our midst, and she rises to the occasion with a resounding Amen! With only a moment of questioning Mary surrenders her life to the impossible; impossible except that it is by the hand of God that Jesus will come. How many ways might Mary have done otherwise? She might have run from the assignment as did Jonah; she might have laughed as Sarah did, or tried to help God as did Sarah and Abraham; she might have been guilty of unbelief as was Zachariah… Or perhaps she might simply have done nothing after giving her word to accept God’s calling on her life; something that would be all too familiar to many of our day.

All that she might have done is in this case irrelevant; Mary did as she was asked by God with only a moment to consider. The Bible gives us no account that she ever looked back with regret on that decision. I find that to be very comforting and personally affirming; I know of no one who, having answered God’s call, regrets the decision. By the same token I know those who are miserable and live in confusion because they did not step up to God’s call, or because they answered a call that was not from God.

The question for all of us as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Mary’s Son, is this: Are we as certain of our willingness to serve God as was Mary? Would we, could we, say Amen to something as foolish as the virgin birth? Is our faith such that it could support us in such a remarkable situation? Are we being true to God’s plan for our lives, or simply asking Him to bless the life that we have chosen? We should all thank God that Mary said Amen. Oh, by the way, Joseph did too!

 

Bobby Thornhill