December 14 How God?

Luke 1:34-37 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon 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 barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

“HOW will this be?” Mary asked and wondered. I wonder what her tone was. Would she have spoken this with an attitude of “That’s impossible! No way can that happen.” Or would she have had a tone of expectation, “Wow! That sounds impossible, but I’m sure God has a way to make it happen. Tell me more.”

     Based on Gabriel’s response to Mary, I believe her attitude was as the latter. She could not readily understand how she as a virgin would give birth to any baby let alone to the Son of God! But she was willing to hear the possibilities. And she seemed ready to act into what she learned. Such a humble attitude to learn and to do is very necessary if we are to grow closer to God.

     Yes, it seems that Mary’s ears and heart were open to God’s guidance to travel onto an unknown path. The tone of the story is that she was ready to go to a new place with God. She was eager to learn how that would happen.

     Mary must have had a great faith in God and a great love for God. She would have called him Yahweh. And she would have seen him as God the Creator, God the Law Giver and God the freedom giver. Mary would have truly believed he was the Most High – our All in All. She seemed to actually believe “Nothing is impossible with God.”

     That’s faith. That is believing God and believing in God. Mary took to heart the angel’s words. I pray that for you, too.

Prayer: Teach me to believe you, Father. You are, indeed, the Most High God, and I receive our impossibles for my life. In the Spirit’s power, amen.