Then Jesus Came #7

 Luke 1:34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 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.

Yesterday we looked at the overwhelming announcement given by Gabriel to Mary: that she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah.  Notice that Mary did not reject this notion, as mind-boggling as it was. She did ask one of the unknowns: "How?"  The reply of Gabriel is almost as mind-boggling as his initial announcement, yet she accepts and embraces it immediately.  Very probably Mary knew of the promise we looked at last week in Isaiah.  She also believed in the very character and power of God: that He is Lord and can do anything he wants (but sin) and in any way He so choses.  The messenger also did what those who spoke for God throughout scripture had often done: give a short-term sign to confirm the accuracy of this announcement: Elizabeth was having what would be considered a miraculous birth.  Mary's response is nothing short of total submission to the plan of God.  The passage ends with the angel leaving Mary with many thoughts to ponder. What would our lives look like if we fully surrendered to God's plan for us?