Following Mary's Moment

Heart Prep

Father, help me to have a humble heart when hearing Your message to me.

Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord;
may it be done to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

In Luke 1:26-38 we read about Gabriel’s message to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, Who would become the Savior of the entire world. We learn that God’s perspective of Mary is one of FAVOR, and yet Mary’s perspective of herself is one of SERVITUDE.

I confess, I would have been tempted to start imagining what my room in the palace would look like, being the KING’s mother. But Mary maintained HUMILITY beyond what I can imagine. How did she express her humility to God’s messenger and message?

First, Mary LISTENED. While the greeting troubled her, she didn’t interrupt Gabriel; she listened to the entire message. Second, Mary ASKED HIM TO CLARIFY what she did not understand. God is comfortable with our humbly asking Him to help us understand His plan for our lives. Third, Mary kept an OPEN MIND AND HEART to the extraordinary, in the midst of the ordinary. When Gabriel told her that her cousin Elizabeth, who had been barren, was anticipating the birth of a son, John the Baptist, she believed him. Fourth, Mary DECLARED HER POSITION by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant,” and fifth, she vowed HER SUBMISSION by stating, “may your word be fulfilled.”

God plans on doing special things in our lives that will have a positive impact on His Kingdom. When that happens, if we want to have “Mary Moments” of humility in our lives,  we must: 1) listen to His Word, 2) ask Him to clarify what we don’t understand, 3) have an open heart and mind to the unexpected miracles of God, 4) take a servant’s position before the Lord, and 5) surrender with trust to God’s plan. Then we too can join Mary in saying, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to Your word.”

Life Application

What is God saying to me?

How can I follow Mary's example to humbly accept God's plan for my life?

Something I want to remember from Mary's Moment is...