“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’
‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’ ‘I am the Lord's servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:26-38 NIV)
What the angel Gabriel was telling Mary may have become “good news,” but in her current situation, the news the angel brought was not necessarily good. She was engaged but unmarried, and now she was being told she would become pregnant, not by her fiancé or by any man, but by the Holy Spirit. How does a young woman go about explaining that one to her family or neighbors?
Mary lived in a culture steeped in strong mores where adulterous women could be stoned or shunned as a result of such behavior. And what to tell her fiancé, Joseph? “Hey Joe, you aren’t going to believe this, but I’m pregnant, and not by you, but by the Holy Spirit!” No, for Mary this was horrible news. She was respectful to Gabriel because he was an angel with a message from God, but it is easy to imagine the fear welling up inside her as she began to realize the implications of this news upon her life. She may have found favor with God, but I am guessing she found little comfort in this at that moment.
Yet, despite all her fears, she submitted to God’s will for her life. “May it be to me as you have said.” This is the very essence of obedience. One does not have to be all excited and pumped up about God’s will; just willing to submit to it, trusting that God knows best. At the time, Mary could not know the outcome of the events about to define her life, but she trusted the Lord knew and that was enough.
Today, if the Lord is laying on your heart His will for something specific in your life, you would do well to follow the example of Mary and submit to it. Though it may appear to be something less than good news, if it is from the Lord, it will be the right path to take.
© Jim Musser 2011
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