The Surrender of Mary

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-38

Steps: 1, 2, 3

This story of Mary, and her surrender to God, is one of the amazing stories of the Bible. It speaks to the power of faith and the mystery of surrender to God. It is a wonderful story of a young girl who accepts the statement of God and does not doubt. It is also a wonderful story that God Himself would be willing to be born of a woman and to live out His life as a man among men. Then God commands Mary to seek out her cousin Elizabeth so that He can bless both of these women.

Prayer for Today: God help us to be willing to be used by You to accomplish Your holy purposes. We certainly do not understand all of Your ways, but by reading Your word we can safely concluded that You are not trying to harm us but to bless us in all of these things. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Help us to trust You and to choose to work with You to bless others as well as ourselves.