Some
have called her a liar, others have called her a goddess.
Some have denied she
existed, while others have treated her as a queen.
So what's the truth about
Mary, the mother of Jesus,
and what does God want us to learn from her life?
By historical accounts, Mary was very young, 13 or 14 years old, when the angel
appeared to her. She already had a solid faith in the Lord God of Israel and
expected, along with everyone else, that the Messiah would come soon. Mary was only
a fallible human like us. What set her apart was her attitude of submission to
God and her willingness to cooperate with whatever God chose for her.
Every
young girl in Israel
hoped she might be chosen to bear the Messiah, but the way God’s plan unfolded
was nothing like anyone had expected. Instead of instant stardom and honor, God’s
plan for Mary required sacrifice, pain, and rejection. Mary knew that she would
have to let go of her own dreams in order to fulfill God’s purpose for her. Her
response to the angel Gabriel models for us the obedience God desires when he
speaks to us: "Truly I am the Lord's servant. Let everything you have said
happen to me"(Luke
1:38). God chose Mary not because she was perfect,
but because he knew her heart. She was “highly favored” by God because she
wanted to please Him no matter what it cost her personally. That attitude of
surrender was the reason God could trust her with His most precious gift.
Can God trust you? When He calls your name, what is your response? Do you resist? Make excuses? Or blatantly disobey? We have a choice. We can cling to our own plans, or we can answer as Mary did: “I am Your servant. Let it be as you have said.” When we respond as Mary did, God can then do great things through our lives.
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