The worldwide COVID pandemic turned everyone and everything upside down. My son, a wedding photographer, faced multiple challenges as brides rescheduled and rearranged their ceremony plans. With gatherings limited to 10-20 people, the mandate to wear face coverings, and a restriction against serving food in public settings, wedding dreams were dashed for many young women who had been planning their perfect day since they were playing with dolls.
So, Mary’s shock is understandable. The sudden appearance of an angel announcing that she would carry God’s baby utterly crushed any romantic and idyllic expectations she had of her wedding day. She could have thrown up her hands in frustration, but she opened her hands in surrender instead.
Luke provides us some helpful background about Mary (Luke 1:26-38). She lived in Nazareth, a small town of about 300-400 people at the time of Jesus. She was “pledged to be married”—a commitment that was even more binding than our engagement period today. Mary was “a virgin,” a young girl between 12-14 years old, and, by implication, had not yet consummated her marriage to Joseph. Though she wasn’t sinless, Mary was a specially chosen instrument of God’s grace. And, as a result, Mary’s plans were about to change. The angel announced,
"You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:31-33).
What a bombshell revelation! The carpet had just been pulled out from underneath the Jewish teenager and she faced the fear of breaking the news of her questionable pregnancy to her fiancé, his parents, her family, and their community. No matter how she framed her encounter with the angel, the story was likely going to end in nothing less than inconvenience, innuendo, inquisition and indictment.
But, Mary said “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). The wonder of Mary is that she made herself available to God.
She reminds us of others throughout biblical history who said “Yes” to God. When God spoke to Abraham and commanded him to “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love” and sacrifice the boy as a burnt offering to God, Abraham rose early the next morning and set out in uncompromising obedience (Genesis 22). When the young boy Samuel heard God calling, he replied, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). And when Isaiah was caught up into the glorious presence of God, humbled and overwhelmed, he heard the voice of God enlisting a servant to go to the people. The prophet responded, “Here am I. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). God’s servants are surrendered to God’s purposes.
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYTHING
Two years out of college, I was sitting behind a computer at a state association where I worked as a graphic designer. I was days away from the deadline to send a magazine to press when God spoke to me—not audibly, but very clearly. He asked, “Is this what you’ll be doing when you’re old?”
At the time, it was a strange question. Since my early teenage years, I had wanted to be a graphic designer. It was my deliberate course of study in college, requiring five years to graduate because of extensive studio work. I loved my career path and was good enough to cultivate contract work on the side. This was the life I had planned for myself.
Until God called.
I was unprepared for His question. But His call was so clear that for me to avoid it would have been disobedience. I knew that, though I couldn’t see the big picture just yet, I could trust God as an even better Designer who was inviting me into what He was doing. That’s when I said “Yes” to pastoral ministry.
When was the last time you allowed God to disrupt your life? Perhaps your heart has been challenged with adoption, opened to a radical career change, or compelled to make a crazy financial investment in Bible translation. Maybe God is moving you to initiate a Gospel conversation or build a relationship with your immigrant neighbor. When was the last time you said “Yes” to something inconvenient, unexpected, or uncomfortable? God is calling and you need to respond with “Here am I, Lord. Anytime, anywhere, anything. Do with me as you please!”
HOLDING ON TO HANDRAILS
Now, know this: Mary didn’t consent without cement. In the middle of not knowing so much of her future, there were two things she did know that would strengthen her surrender. First, she knew of God’s providence. When the angel said about her son, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (vv. 32-33), Mary would have recalled God’s promise hundreds of years earlier (2 Samuel 7:12-13). What God had planned, He was providentially bringing to pass. So, her “Yes” wasn’t dependent on her being in control, but on her confidence that God was in control.
In the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, there is a scene where the lead characters are lounging in the back of a plane, unaware that the pilot has dumped all the fuel and jumped out of the aircraft. When Indiana wakes, he opens the door to the cockpit and panics, “There’s no one flying the plane!” Sometimes, life feels like this. But Mary knew that God is always at the controls. She banked on His providence and you can, too.
Mary also knew of God’s power. How could she possibly conceive a child before marriage? How could anyone be sure the baby would be a boy? How could her son be protected from a sin nature common to all people? It all seemed so impossible! But the angel assured her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” and “Nothing is impossible with God” (vv. 35, 37).
With God, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” If God calls you to start your own business, change your college major, homeschool your kids, write a book, or lead a Bible study, He will provide all the necessary resources for you to complete His calling. Don’t let the only thing standing in the way of your availability be some impossibility. God’s providence and His power are the handrails you can hold onto as you follow God’s path.