Sunday, December 8, 2019 Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ 34 Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 35 The angel said to 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 holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.’ 38 Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
Waiting Faithfully
For nothing will be impossible with God. (v. 37)
This particular Scripture passage has great meaning for me. First of all, it describes the announcement by the angel Gabriel that Mary would soon become the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. What an unbelievable message for this young woman to receive without any warning. Yet, once the angel explained how and why this miracle was to happen, Mary pulled herself together and said, quite simply, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” She did not complain about inconvenience, or possible embarrassment, or how this might impact her life. Rather, she understood that she was being honored by God and, as His servant, there was no question of her willingness to please Him. The second reason this passage has great meaning for me is the discussion of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. There was a time in my own life that it seemed very doubtful that my husband and I would ever become parents. Years spent pursuing fertility treatments proved fruitless. Finally, I came to understand that, perhaps, God had a different plan in mind for me. I decided to attend law school at night while working full-time during the day. During the fourth, and final, year of law school, I discovered that I was going to have a baby! I was so stunned that I called the lab back to double-check the results. As soon as I recovered from the shock, I realized that God had planned everything perfectly! I graduated in May, took the Bar Exam at the end of July, and delivered a healthy baby girl at the end of August. Had the timing been any different, I would not have become a lawyer. God’s timing allowed me to complete law school and take the Bar Exam just in time to begin the adventure of motherhood. So, my prayers were answered in a way that was so much better than I could have possibly imagined! It was then that I began to more fully appreciate the fact that, while God’s plans for us may not be clear, He is always with us. We just need to trust Him and be willing to follow His lead. As Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Amen.
Let us pray. Dear Lord, help us to remember that our lives unfold according to Your plan, not our own. We think we know what is best for us and for others. We wonder why You do not answer our prayers in the specific ways in which we have outlined our pleas for Your intercession. Help us to recognize that You are always by our side and that You will provide us with what we need when we need it. The answer to our prayers may come in a different form, or at a later time, but You will never desert us. Help us to keep our faith strong as we trust in You always. Amen.
Submitted by: Susan Lawson