Have you ever done a “trust fall”? You stand with your back to a group of people, cross your arms, close your eyes, and fall backward, trusting they’ll catch you.
It’s a lot harder than it looks.
Now imagine the ultimate trust fall.
Mary was a young girl, probably a teenager, engaged to a carpenter named Joseph in the little town of Nazareth. One day, the angel Gabriel appeared and told her she would give birth to a son, and He would be the Son of the Most High.
There was just one problem. Mary wasn’t married yet.
So Mary asked a very reasonable question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Notice, she didn’t ask whether it would happen. She asked how. Trust doesn’t mean you have no questions.
Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. And then he added, “For no word from God will ever fail.”
Think about what Mary was risking. Her reputation. Her engagement. Maybe even her life. Nobody in Nazareth was going to believe her story.
And yet, Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
That’s trust. Trust is falling backward into God’s arms, even when you can’t see how He’ll catch you.
And He did. God spoke to Joseph in a dream, and Joseph took Mary as his wife. And Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank-you that no word from You will ever fail. Thank-you for giving me the trust of Mary, so that I will say “yes” to You even when I don’t understand how. Thank-you for always catching me when I fall. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Wikipedia: Mary, mother of Jesus, Annunciation, Gabriel
Look-It Up:
The story is told in Luke 1:26-38.
“For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Free Bonus:
Mary’s song of praise, beginning “My soul glorifies the Lord,” is known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). It echoes the prayer of Hannah (see Pray 4 Hope).
Mary was there at the very end, too. She stood near the cross when Jesus was crucified (John 19:25-27), and she was with the disciples praying in the upper room after He rose (Acts 1:14).
The Christmas song “Mary, Did You Know?” was written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene, and first recorded in 1991.