Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38, NKJV)
The first prayer in the New Testament regarding the Advent of Jesus is the one by Mary, His mother, when the angel comes to her and tells her the news that might not have come as a message of joy.
Here’s a young, unmarried woman, bethrothed to Joseph, a carpenter in Nazareth. The likelihood is that he will divorce her and she will live in shame, possibly even being disowned by her parents. There was also the chance she would be stoned—although if this is what God had chosen, she could be certain she would live through it.
And yet she still said, “Let it be to me according to your word.”
She had to be pretty sure no one would believe her, if she was thinking at all. For centuries, mothers had been hoping their daughter would be the one to carry the promised one of Israel. But by the same token—for centuries, no one had been chosen, so who would believe it would be her?
Poor. Not among the nobility. Unknown. Yes, of David’s lineage—but so was everyone else in the village. Could she bear it for nine months?
Such courage, acceptance, and loyalty you don’t often find!
Lord—I know there are others world-wide who make courageous choices to follow You despite the odds. I ask that You would bless them with a full measure of faith and set Your angels round about them. Please, keep them close to You, and bring Your will to pass in their lives. And Lord, please grant me the courage I need day by day to do what You want despite the odds. In Jesus Name and for His sake. Amen.
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