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 1:38
At first glance, Mary is a simple girl living in Nazareth, betrothed to a man named Joseph. Yet, when we take a closer look at this ordinary girl, we begin to see her extraordinary obedience to God. Yes, she may be a small town girl, but she has a role in an incredible plan, a plan God has been working out since the beginning of time to rescue his people!
God promised that a Savior would come who would crush the curse of sin and cancel the punishment of death. Mary’s part in this plan was revealed to her one day when the angel Gabriel visited her. And really, Mary’s role was to simply yield to God. Her words in response to the angel’s news that she would conceive and give birth to the son of God are astoundingly powerful. Mary proclaims both her identity as God’s servant and her obedience to his plan, saying to Gabriel, “let it be to me according to your word.” In the same way, we as Christians are asked to yield to God’s plan for our lives. We can only do this with the same obedient spirit that Mary has. When we obey, we ordinary Christ-followers can be part of the extraordinary redemptive story of the whole world. Yet, it means letting go of our plans. It means trusting even when God’s plan seems impossible. It means obeying even when we will be ridiculed and rejected. Like Mary, we are called to respond to God’s plan by saying, “[L]et it be to me according to your word.”
Where is God inviting you to be a part of his plan? What does obedience look like right now in your life?
Jess, what a provocative challenge! Obedience is the essence of submission to our Lord. It’s a question I must answer daily. I only wish that I am able to submit to God’s will for my life as Mary did. Thanks for highlighting this important aspect of what it means to be a follower of God.
Yes! I absolutely agree that these are daily questions to ask ourselves. Walking with Jesus requires us to let him lead and man do I get this backwards all the time. I love that The Advent season encourages “heart checks” as we look forward to the second Advent of Jesus. ~JG