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 conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him 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 Jacob’s descendants 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 on 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 unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Mary grew up hearing prophecies about the coming Messiah, but she never expected that He would come through her! She was, after all, ordinary. Besides, she had plans to marry Joseph and live in Nazareth her entire life.
God had other plans for Mary, and she said “Yes.” That “Yes” changed her life, and it changed the world! God could have used someone else, but Mary was wise enough to know that saying yes was the smartest thing she could do. She trusted God to take care of all the details that followed.
Rejection. Shame. Nobody believing her story. Being marked as an immoral woman. Mary may not have foreseen these results, but when they did, she continued to put her trust in God. She put aside all the “what ifs” and surrendered in a way that would be tested more than once in the years to come.
Which would you prefer — to be a housewife in an obscure village or to be the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ? To be one of the crowd in a place where you are comfortable or to be set apart and used for God’s extraordinary purposes?
Saying yes to what God calls us to often brings discomfort, separation from those we love, and hard work. But it is always worth it when we look at life from an eternal perspective. The entire world was changed because Mary said “Yes” to God that day.
QUESTION: Where is God asking you to say “Yes” today?
PRAYER: Father God, I cling to what I want and expect in life. I like being comfortable. Help me trust You enough to let go and follow where You lead. Give me the courage and faith to say “Yes” to You today. Amen.
It’s challenging to step outside our comfort zones, but not everyone is called to go to the extreme … most of us are called to share Christ within the communities where we live, work, shop, and exercise. In partnership with AllMomDoes, PRAISE 106.5 reaches Southern B.C. and Northwest Washington with the truth of God’s Word and inspiring Christian music. Please give a special Christmas gift this season to PRAISE 106.5 today to bring the hope and love of Jesus to your community.
