Whatever You Say

Heart Prep

God, help me to have faith like Mary and follow You.

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

One of my favorite women in the Bible is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was young, probably close to the age you are. She was still in her teens but was betrothed to be married (which was totally normal in those days). She was engaged, except, that meant more than just a ring and a wedding date. It was a binding agreement. Mary was ‘contracted’ to marry Joseph. She was a virgin and was expected to remain a virgin until her wedding night. So, when an angel showed up and told her she was going to have a baby, you can imagine she was probably a little confused.

The angel called Mary the favored one, but I imagine she didn’t feel too favored. She was a pregnant virgin. No one would ever believe that. She probably imagined that Joseph would leave her, assuming she had slept with another man. And society would have shunned her during that time. Still, what did Mary say? “May it be done according to your word.” She looked right at the angel, who she would have known was from God, and said, “Okay. Whatever God wants me to do, I’m His.” What a heart she had! She wanted to serve the Lord no matter if it cost her everything! Mary had full faith that God would take care of everything. And, He did. Joseph still married her, because God sent an angel to explain things to him. She became the mother of the Son of God.  It’s safe to assume Mary lived the rest of her life being thankful to have had the honor to carry the Messiah. 

We can believe like Mary. God has shown us through her story that He is good, and He can take care of anything. When He asks us to do something, we can trust Him to help us do it.  All He needs us to do is obey.

Life Application

What is God asking you to do that might seem scary?

What do you need to change about your life in order to obey Him?

Challenge: Read the whole story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 1-2.