And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” 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 1:34-38 ESV
When Gabriel appeared to Mary with this astounding announcement that she will conceive a son who will be named Jesus, Mary’s response should not be surprising to us. “How can this be?” Or in modern terminology, “Wait! What? I don’t understand how this can happen because I am a virgin.” Of course she didn’t understand. No one could understand how this could happen.
Gabriel’s explanation was profound, yet simple: “The Holy Spirit will cause you to conceive; therefore, the child to be born will be the Son of God…. For nothing is impossible with God.” This is the way God worked His plan and purpose through Mary. The Holy Spirit of God will cause it to happen. Plain and simple. Because God can do the impossible. He does the impossible all the time, and He uses ordinary people.
Mary’s response was one of simple surrender: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” It’s hard to imagine how a teenage girl would respond with such amazing faith and trust, but she did. Her willingness to bear God’s Son would change the course of history forever.
As we have said before, God uses ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purpose. If God can use this teenage virgin to bear His Son, what might God be calling you to do? How do you respond to God when He asks you to do something you think is impossible? Or even difficult? Will you respond like Mary, “Look, I am Your servant, Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”
- Will you pray that God will use you today in a mighty way to accomplish His will? Even if it seems impossible?
- Will you pray today for those who are serving in our community through Meals on Wheels and Tuesday’s Table (Soup Kitchen)?
- Will you pray for the safety and health for all.