Behold the Lord's Maidservant....

Sunday was Annunciation Day

The birth of Jesus announced.

To a young unmarried girl from Galilee. Her name was Mary.

This is what happened:

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NOW IN THE SIXTH MONTH the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And having come in, the angel said to her,

“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

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 1:26-38 KJV)

Mary, the mother of Jesus, have always been special to me as God's plan for her life have always given me much to ponder. I've often been reminded of her courage, her obedience, her yes, whenever I myself had to face "possibly life altering" choices in my own life.

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Mary gave up everything. I'm sure she had dreams for her future until that day the angel Gabriel appeared,

I even think that in her dreams, future looked quite different.

I don't believe that Mary fully grasped what she really agreed to when she answered the angel

"Behold the maidservant of the Lord..."

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But her yes was

a yes to God,

a yes to laying down her own dreams,

comforts, plans and purposes,

her very life,

for the sake of His will being carried out.

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She might have known or not known what

Hannah Whitall Smith knew when she wrote*:

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"-His lovable, lovely will, which only means loving-kindnesses

and tender mercies and blessings unspeakable to their souls. [...]

better and sweeter than health or friends or money or fame or ease or prosperity

is the adorable will of our God."

*The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, 1875, page 45,47

Whatever Mary's thoughts on the subject, she heard His calling.

And she answered

Yes, Lord,

Thy Will be done.

When He asks me...

What will I say?