BY: JESS HAMMOND
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! For nothing will be impossible with God.” So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”
John 5:39
This angelic announcement is one of the most familiar Christmas scriptures. Gabriel’s message to Mary is profound. It invites us to see God’s faithfulness throughout His Word. In these few, short verses God fulfills multiple promises He made several hundred years earlier.
Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:7, and 2 Samuel 7:13 are just a few of the scriptures where God gave the details of Jesus’ arrival, His lineage, and His virgin birth. Isaiah, Samuel and David had no idea when or how this would happen, but they were faithful to write down what God had spoken to them.
Do you ever wonder how Scripture will come to pass?
As a parent or anyone that has interactions with children, we don’t always provide them all of the details. As we teach, instruct, and speak things into their lives, they typically do not — and cannot –understand the significance of all that is said in the moment. In the same way a child’s brain cannot grasp things that an adult’s brain can, we rarely understand all that God is doing in the moment because we can not understand an infinite plan with a finite mind. Our job as children of God is not to understand every detail, but to trust Him to fulfill all that He has said He will do because He has proven himself faithful over and over again.
What if every believer had the same heart that Mary had in the midst of the unknown?
Her life was about to drastically change…there would be so many twists and turns. She had no idea what was ahead of her, but she submitted to God’s will and trusted that the Most High would overshadow her (Luke 1:35). When we live in submission and obedience, we live in the middle of God’s provision and promise. There is no greater way to prepare our hearts this Christmas than to offer them in surrender to the One who is worthy of all of our trust and allegiance.
Let’s make Mary’s prayer of surrender our personal prayer today.
“Father, we are your humble servants, help us walk out whatever you bring our way according to your Word.”
Daily Challenge:
What areas of your life do you need to surrender to Him?
#Advent2020AC
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