‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ ~ Luke 1:38a.
We all have hopes and dreams that percolate deep in our souls. But what happens when God’s will cuts against the grain of our aspirations?
This happened to Mary. Mary was a young woman preparing for the greatest day of her life — her wedding day! She was engaged to a good man she dearly loved. But then something unimaginable brought her plans to a screeching halt.
Luke tells of when God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary with a special announcement (Luke 1:26). She would be pregnant with a son whom she was to call Jesus. I’m sure Mary was so overwhelmed with this news because she had never been intimate with any man. So how could she possibly be pregnant?
Gabriel answered her honest question and explained that the child would be conceived by the Holy Spirit. Gabriel also told Mary how her relative, Elizabeth, even in her old age would conceive a child. Both pregnancies were humanly impossible. But with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
Mary’s response is remarkable. “I am the Lord’s servant… May it be to me as you have said'” (Luke 1:38). This young girl releases her plans and accepts a risky assignment. It could unravel her relationship with Joseph. Her reputation would be on the line. Even her life could hang in the balance. How could she not be upset?
The answer is profoundly simple. She trusted God more than her relationships, more than her reputation, more than her hopes, and even more than her life. It was in her simple faith in the Lord where Mary knew that her hopes and dreams would be best fulfilled as she surrendered herself to His will.
Mary’s faith is an inspiration. If you are struggling with your own hopes and dreams, don’t try to force them; surrender them to the Lord’s will.