Faith of a Child: Mary, Mother of Jesus |

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 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.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[c] the Son of God. Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

I bet this story from Luke 1:26-38 is one of the most well known stories in the Bible. Especially at this time of year, we’ll hear the plight of this young woman named Mary, whom God chose to be the mother of the Savior of the world. Can you imagine? Can you even fathom what went through this young girl’s mind during this entire scene? Let’s take this step by step and journey through this time and season with Mary.

One of the first things we learn about Mary is that she is highly favored with the Lord. Mary was a woman that walked in faith already, probably followed God’s laws and decrees to the best of her ability. She was a sinner like we all are, but she followed God and obeyed him. And an angel of the Lord came to visit her. How many of you have been graced by an angel who had been to the throne of God and was sent to give you a message?

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Mary had probably been startled with the presence of this angel. I am sure that Mary knew well the stories of the Old Testament where God spoke to Moses, or through a prophet such as Elijah, but what did he mean by this? Why was he here?

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 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.”

That is a lot to take in for a young girl…..

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The woman of faith has doubt. Gosh, guys, we all on this website know what it takes to get pregnant….you gotta have sex! And if you are a virgin, that just isn’t going to happen, ya know? I mean…in that time period to be engaged to a man, to be found pregnant…that had some HUGE consequences. Women were married young to older husbands, their betrothals often being arranged in childhood. Being betrothed during this time period was seen like being married, so if she was pregnant, and it wasn’t Joseph’s baby, she was considered an adulteress.

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

The angel reminds her that God can do things that we mortal people know to be impossible. He tells her that her cousin, Elizabeth who was known to be barren, is also bearing a child. Considering Elizabeth’s age, this was a miracle in itself as well.

For nothing is impossible with God.

Nothing, dear one. Nothing is impossible with God. Do you think that it is impossible to fix your marriage? For nothing is impossible with God. Do you think that your marriage bed is in shambles beyond repair? For nothing is impossible with God. Do you think that you cannot let go of lust, adultery, pornography, or an other sin in your life? For nothing is impossible with God.

Nothing is impossible for God. Nothing. And to this, we should all reply just as Mary did… “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

Thy will be done, Lord. Thy will be done. Is the Lord calling you to do something that you feel is impossible? In faith, just like Mary, call on the Lord and tell him “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Amen.

Now did it look easy for Mary after that? Known now to be an adulteress… her betrothed husband ready to set her free of the contract they had to marry…. It wasn’t easy. Some of the things God will ask us to do are not easy. Abraham leaving his home to follow God to some unknown land…not easy. Nehemiah rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem…not easy. Moses leading the people out of Egypt…not easy. But Mary had faith that God knew what he was doing in all of this, just like Abraham, Nehemiah and Moses. Thy will be done, Lord.

When you pray for help in your marriage or in your marriage bed, be ready, open and willing to what God will ask you to do. His way is always the best way. He may ask you to march around the walls of Jericho, and it may seem stupid, but it’s God’s way. He wants us to trust him in all that we do. He will not lead us astray. We do a good enough job of that anyway. I am hoping that these Bible studies will spark an interest in wanting to crack open your Bible and learn more. Allow God to speak to you through these ancient words. They are just as applicable today as they were in the days they were written.

Have faith. Follow God. Do His will. May God bless you abundantly.