May it Be Done to Me According to Your Word

Luke 1:38

Try to imagine what it would have been like for the young Jewish girl Mary when the angel Gabriel appeared to her with this message from God: Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you.  Scripture tells us that Mary was very perplexed and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.  The angel said,

Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:32-33) 

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most high will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:34-35).

Gabriel also told Mary that her relative Elizabeth, who had been barren, had conceived a child in her old age and was now in her sixth month.  He said, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:36-37).

I love Mary’s answer to Gabriel: “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).  That is the answer I want to have in my heart when I know God is calling me to do something.  And I want to remember always the promise that “nothing will be impossible with God.”

I sometimes think about how amazing it would be to have an angel show up and tell me exactly what was going to happen, or what decision I should make. But now, as believers in Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit actually living in us!  He doesn’t just appear once in a while and then leave.  He lives in us and promises He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We are told to ask Him, and wait expectantly for His guidance, to listen for His still small voice saying “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21.

When I knew God was calling me to create a website and begin publishing weekly devotionals, that seemed impossible at first.  I’ve never done anything like setting up a website.  I went to other websites about how to create one, and found promises of “just a few easy steps.”  I think one said in 17 minutes you can have a website up and running.  Well, maybe for some people, but not for me!  I printed many pages describing how to do it, but at times I seriously felt like giving up.  I look back and think, “How did it get done?”  The answer is that God led each step, and brought just the right people at just the right time to help when I felt like giving up. 

The same was true when I knew God was calling me to compile the devotionals into a book. That was not even on my radar screen of things to do – until three different people in about a 3-week period asked if I had ever considered compiling my devotionals into a book.  Each of them knew people they would like to give a book to. Each time I said, “No, that’s not something I’m considering.”  But after three times, I began to think maybe it was God’s plan for me to do that.  I have a dear friend who had already self-published quite a few books on Amazon.  She was more than willing to help me get started, and she was there all along until the project was completed!  Again, I look back and think, “How did that get done?”  And the answer is the same – God led each step and provided what I needed to make it happen. 

I’m learning how important it is not just to pray and talk to God about everything, but to take time to be still and listen. He says that He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep, and His sheep know His voice (John 10:3-4).  He may have plans for us that we would never sign up for.  But think about what we would miss out on if we don’t ask Him, or if we are unwilling to follow His plan.  His thoughts and ways are so much higher than our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

To know God, to love Him, and follow Him wherever He leads is what He desires.  He doesn’t promise it will be easy.  Think for a moment about what Mary must have gone through, becoming pregnant before her marriage to Joseph.  What would Joseph think?  What would her parents think?  What would her community think?  She didn’t ask for a complete roadmap for the rest of her life.  She simply believed Gabriel’s message, and she gave birth to the Son of God, the Messiah!

I want to have a willing heart like Mary.  I want to say to the Lord, “Be it done to me according to Your will.”  I want to trust Him to accomplish whatever plan He has for my life.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Has God asked you to do something that seems impossible? 

What would keep you from doing what He asks?

What will you say to Him?

What promises can you claim that will help you take the next step of obedience?