DECEMBER 10 MARY SAID “YES” By Eric Mounts Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church
Today’s Passage: Luke 1:39–45
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Mary embraced a life sentence of perceived scandal. It was the will of God for her. She asked a fair question about how virgin birth was going to work out. Hers was a “how” of faith seeking understanding (Luke 1:34), dissimilar to Zechariah’s earlier “how” (Luke 1:18), which seems a “how” of challenge. Mary’s natural reflex, indicative of her devotion to God, was to immediately assent to what was asked of her. It is difficult to overstate the outrageous notion this would have been for Mary to accept. Virgin birth is unprecedented. God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). God has plans for our lives that include us but are bigger than us. Western culture has led us to be self-focused. God is involved in every aspect of our lives, working to sanctify us and glorify His Son Jesus. He uses us in His plans, though often inscrutable and hidden from us. We are tested in our confusion surrounding what God may be doing. Mary passed the test. She deferred to God. She trusted His wisdom and the decree of God, even when she could not understand the “impossible.” God taught Mary to embrace the impossible. Her implicit trust is a model for us. How many of us chafe at hard providence? Mary had no promise that her trust in God would be “understood better by and by.” In the moment of tough challenge – even lifelong shame – Mary deferred to God’s judgment for her. Do we? She is our model. God taught Mary that He could do impossible things with confusing circumstances. Christmas teaches us to accept God’s will, trust His judgment, and look for the impossible. Mary’s inherent trust is our way forward.
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