Believing God’s Promise

When God shares with us His plan, do we submit with joy or doubt? Do we believe and protect His promise, or do we expose it to ridicule?

God’s Wonderful Plan

Luke 1:26-38 

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
 ³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”  ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”  ³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Wow, I can’t even begin to imagine all the thoughts and feelings Mary could have felt when the angel told her she would conceive and give birth to Jesus, and my imaginings may or may not be correct. We can imagine many things she may have thought, but the Bible tells us what we need to know. 1) Mary was highly favored by God (Luke 1:30). 2) God was with her (Luke 1:30). 3) Mary believed God and “submitted” to God’s will (Luke 1:38).

Mary’s life and her heart must have been very pleasing to God for Him to choose her to carry and raise the Son of God. And I love that God chose Mary after she was betrothed to Joseph but before she married him. This tells us 1) God was also choosing Joseph and trusting Jesus incarnate to him, and 2) God wanted to further reassure us that Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit, not man. God had a very specific and wonderful plan.

Submitting with Joy

I wonder how I can be like Mary? I already know that God smiles upon me and that He is with me. But when I look closely at myself, I hope I can also say that I believe God’s word to me and I submit to it. Sometimes, God gives us clear direction or a wonderful promise from Him, and we are excited… until we start talking to other people about it. Suddenly, what began as honest trust in God becomes contaminated with the doubt, confusion, and questions of other people. Even the most well intentioned people, can place negative ideas in our minds that can destroy the life God planted there if we don’t protect the promise. Like Mary, we can ask God questions (Luke 1:34) out of amazement or curiosity, rather than doubt.

Protecting the Promise

Luke 1:39-45
³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

I think it is interesting that the Bible tells us that “at that time Mary got ready and hurried…to Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.” She went to a place where fulfillment of God’s word was taking place. She went where her own words from God could be pondered and held onto. Her faith (which was already strong) must have been even more encouraged when she visited with Elizabeth. What an exciting dialogue they must have had and a tearful exchange of feelings and thoughts. And what an experience when Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed prophetically that Mary was indeed carrying the Son of the Most High! From reading the Scripture, it is my understanding that Elizabeth didn’t know anything about Mary being with child. Mary would not yet have been “showing” at the time, and the news would not have preceded her at the time of her greeting. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed and confirmed the powerful message.

When the Lord gives me a word from Him, it is important that I hold onto that word and believe God. I want to surround myself with others who believe with me and are an encouragement. I don’t need the doubt and unbelief of others to take its toll on me and my faith. After all, verse 37 says, “For no word from God will ever fail.” If God says it, God will do it. I can believe Him, and I can act on that. I praise Him and can rejoice because He is faithful.

Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”