Luke 1:38 (ESV)
“ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
I sit across the table, reading His Words from the Bible. I browse from Luke, as per the leading of His Spirit and I come across chapter 1 verse 38.
In this verse, Mary found it in her heart to submit under God and His will for her life.
I don’t know if many of you know, but I was named after Mary. Of course, my mom wanted to keep it modern. Hence, my second name became “Marie”. It’s kind of weird to think that when my mom was telling me stories about this passage, there was a hint of melancholy. In her eyes, Mary was settling for a life of sorrow because of what others might think, how she might be perceived, etc.
But, Mary, here, thought differently. She even magnified and expressed gratitude unto the Lord. In verse 46 and 49, it reads:
v46 “And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord”
v49 “for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name”
In Mary’s eyes and through revelation, God was blessing her. Note that Mary was a servant of the Lord. And in Ecclesiastes 8:12 (ESV), it reads:
“…yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him.”
True enough, Mary’s life was blessed and she is revered until today, as it was prophesied in Luke 1:48.
As I write before you today, I stand amazed at how God is faithful and that those who serve Him live a blessed life. Is it easy serving the Lord? Absolutely not. It’s a battle of faith after all– of believing God and renouncing the devil. It’s a battle between doing the right thing– which is following God– and doing the opposite– of renouncing one’s faith for the sake of anything else. May it be renouncing comfort, riches, pleasures or anything else, as they come close to God’s place– it’s not easy, as it has not always been.
But, God. God is worth it all. And the blessing might not be obvious, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not there or that it’s not on the way, at least.
Wherever you are now, whatever season you are in, know that everything has a purpose. The discomfort can be used by the Lord to expose whatever is in your heart that has been an idol to Him– to test you, to prune you, to prepare you. Continually trust Him. Continually seek Him. And continually look for His Word in every situation.
Rest assured, truly, it will be well for those who fear God.
God is a good God and Mary made the right choice of believing in Him. May we also make the right choice today.
Luke 1:45 (ESV)
“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”