And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be unto me as you have said according to your word” Luke 1:38 This verse resounds with me every time I read it. We see Mary as a young girl, basically saying to the angel who had just appeared to her: “I am yours Lord, do with me as you wish, do whatever you want in my life” She had to go to her husband to be and explain that, yes, I am a virgin and yes, I am pregnant. Joseph decided that he would quietly divorce her (Matthew1:19) but then he heard from the angel.
Imagine their lives: the scrutiny, the shakes of the heads of those prone to gossip and those
who love controversy and dissention. They had to travel a long way, on a donkey, at 9 months pregnant, only to find there were no rooms left for them. Mary gave birth to a baby boy and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger. They marveled as the shepherds and wise men sought Him, their Lord. They were told to go to Egypt to hide out so the king would not find them and harm their baby. Matthew 2: 13-23. How “ironic” that God’s people were delivered from that same place as Moses pleaded with the Pharoah “let my people go” (Exodus 9:1) Luke 2:19 tells us that Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart. I wonder if she pondered these things all her life. As she raised Jesus and had other kids, seeing Jesus as sinless and perfect up against her earthly children. When Mary and Joseph had lost Jesus and went back to find him in the temple answering questions (Luke 2:41-48). When she heard Him say “who is my mother, who are my brothers” when she came to see her son (Matthew 12:48) Watching Him turn water into wine at a wedding (John 2:1-11) and watching her son die on a cross (Matthew 27:32-56) Mary had said “let it be unto me according to Your word”
Mary’s life was difficult. I would think that if God told her that she would be carrying the Son of God, that God would have made it easy for her, but that was far from reality. How incredible for Mary to say these words. She had no idea what her life was going to be like,
what God was asking from her and yet she simply obeyed! Wow ~ to have a faith like this! To live our lives and say “Lord, no matter what… NO MATTER WHAT, I trust you. Let it be unto me as YOU say in my life” I want that kind of faith, don’t you?
Mary gave her whole life to God. She allowed her body to be used to bring Jesus into this world. She gave her whole life to God – physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Her life was not her own, it was God’s. Her dreams, her vision for what her life would look like disappeared in the touch of any angel, in the moment she obeyed and traded her life and what it was to look like in her mind for what GOD had in mind for her. She obeyed, she worshipped, she was “all in”. What is it that God is calling you to? What is He calling you from? What is He asking you to give up? Take on? Will you trust Him: every second of every day, with every detail of your life? Will you submit, obey and allow God to bring joy out of your submission and obedience to His calling on your life?
Mary’s life was hard: the wondering, the ridicule, protecting her son when he was a baby only
to watch Him die 33 years later. Look what came out of her obedience, her heartbreak: the Savior of the world! Often times we do not know what God is doing. But if we trust Him, lean into Him and give our whole lives in obedience to Him, He will do things that we cannot imagine. We can’t always trace His hand, but we can trust His heart (Charles Spurgeon)