“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." Luke 1:38 NKJ
Can you imagine what it must have been like for Mary when the Angel of the Lord told her she had been chosen to birth the Living Savior, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ the Lord? I can’t even fathom what must have been going through her mind at that moment! At first she was troubled and questioned the Angel, but when he explained the details, she calmed down and gave the reply, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 She still didn’t have all the details yet she yielded herself to be used by God for His plan. I am amazed by this interaction and her response every time I read this passage!
I am sure my reaction and response would have been quite different because even when God asks to use me for little things, I sometimes struggle in my reaction and response. I am sure I am not the only one who can identify with this. Think about how many times we have asked God to use us and then when He does, we complain about feeling used. I have done this countless times in my life.
One time I was asking God to use me to make a difference in the lives of the women at a church I was attending. I signed up for a mom’s group. I was a gifted speaker and I knew I had a message of hope that would impact their lives. I talked to the leader of the group and told her of my desire. Thinking she would gladly welcome me into the leadership, I waited for her reply. The next week she approached me and told me she wanted me to be a small group leader.
I looked at her like a deer in the headlights because I could not believe what she had just asked me to do. My thought was, “Are you kidding me? I asked God to use me to do a mighty work for Him that would benefit the whole group? Certainly He would not want me to just be a small group leader?” Of course I didn’t voice my dissatisfaction but I did act a little annoyed when I finally accepted her offer. This is a great example of asking God to use me, and then complaining because I felt like I was going to be used.
I am happy to report that after my wrestling match with God was over I chose to change my attitude and accept my assignment. In essence I did what Mary did and said, “Let it be to me according to your word.” The result of that change was incredible because the small group I was assigned, needed me, and I needed them. We supported one another, prayed for each another, and built one another up! That year I experienced an unforeseen tragedy that would have caused me to step down if I had been in a leadership position of teaching. The stress caused by the event was too great and there is no way I could have fulfilled the requirements of the teaching position.
Looking back I see that God had orchestrated His plan for me in that group. He chose me for the position that I was able to fill, and it was one that gave birth to the miracle of hope and encouragement in my life, and the lives of the women in the group. We can learn a lot from Luke 1:38 if we apply what Mary did to our own lives. It is okay to pray to be used by God and even to question God when He reveals how He wants to use us, just as Mary did. But then it is our responsibility to yield to the calling that He knows will best accomplish His plans, not ours. Of course God won’t call us to give birth to Jesus but everything He calls us to do gives birth to something powerful that will change the world forever.
We will be called to give birth to hope, healing, success, victory, and every blessing and promise of God. These blessings and promises will benefit every person we come into contact with, and it will have a ripple effect for generations to come, just like the birth of Christ does. It is important to remember that this side of Heaven we will only know in part, but we can be assured that if we yield to God’s plan as Mary did, we will one day know all the reasons and details. Begin to ask God to give you a heart like Mary’s and to quiet your spirit when He calls upon you to carry out His plan in your life.
Prayer: Today I yield my heart, mind, and spirit to you and believe by faith that you know the plans you have for me. I believe by faith that as I do this, you will use my life to accomplish those plans. I praise You for choosing to use me to be a life giver to those around me. In quietness and trust of Your plan for my life I will find my strength to accomplish them. Amen.
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