Be it unto me

The Bible doesn't tell us Mary's exact age when she accepted God's call to be the mother of the Jesus. But, since she was betrothed to Joseph at the time, she was probably no more than a young teenage girl. Why would God have chosen her?

Because of her heart for God. Because of her willingness to surrender everything and submit. Mary Loved the Lord!

When the angel Gabriel visited her, He proclaimed,

Hail, O favored one ! The Lord is with you! Blessed are you before all other women! (Luke 1:28 )

Gabriel told her that she would become pregnant, and that the child she bore would be called the Son of the Most High God. Being a devout Jew, surely Mary knew the scriptures.

“Go through, Go through the gates!

Prepare the way for the people;

Build up, Build up the highway!

Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!

Indeed the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world:

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Surely your salvation is coming;

Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.’ ”

(Is 62; 10,11)

Like her countrymen, she longed for Messiah, but do you think she had any idea that she would play such an integral part in the unfolding of God’s salvation plan?

There is nothing in her story that would lead us to believe that she was striving for prominence or recognition. She appears to have lived a quiet and obedient life. And then suddenly, an angel came to her and turned her world upside down!

When Gabriel told her that she would, by the power of the Holy Spirit, carry the Son of the Most High in her womb, she had to have wrestled with that concept. Logically, this would not have made any sense to her. She had kept herself pure as God's law had commanded. How would she, never having experienced intimacy with a husband, become pregnant?

But, when she inquired, the angel explained, "...with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment," Luke 1:37

That was all the explanation Mary needed and she replied, "Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said." Luke 1:38

I have learned so much from that short conversation between Mary and the angel Gabriel. Though Mary may have been scared and confused, she did not let her emotions or human logic get in the way of doing God's will. Even at such a young age, she understood that if God calls you to it, He will make a way through it.

She didn’t say “What will my fiancé think if I go around claiming the Holy Spirit has come upon me and made me pregnant?" She didn’t ask "Who will protect me from those who will seek to stone me for adultery, though I've done no wrong?"

No. Instead, she believed God with child-like faith. She took God at His Word and was called blessed! She sang praises to God for allowing her to be a part of His wonderful redemption story!

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... For the Mighty One is holy, and He has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear Him...He has helped His servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For He made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.(Luke 1:46-50; 54-55)

That is why God chose Mary. He knew her heart was completely His.

Since Mary's heart was for God, God's heart was for Mary. She found favor with Him. God allowed no enemies to harm Mary and her fiancé did not put her to shame. The angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph on her behalf, and he remained with her. (Matthew 1:18-21)

But, while this visitation from God brought forth blessing, upheaval also came to Mary’s life. While God’s visitation initiated both conception and birth, it also brought ridicule, judgement and shunning. God’s favor brought great blessing but also great heartache. Joseph believed Mary because an angel visited him, but what about the other people in Mary’s life? Did they rejoice with her or abandon her?

Mary’s life was never the same. The birth of Jesus brought relocation, transition, rejection and gossip but her eyes remained steadfast on her Heavenly Father. Her eyes of faith opened up an entirely new flow to her life. She lived her life in relentless, passionate pursuit of HIM. She stayed by HIS cross. She was among the 120 who waited in the upper room for the promise of HIS Spirit. Her heart remained completely HIS. She was faithful to HIS call.

Intercession is a call. It is a ministry of service to the Lord and ministry to the Body of Christ. You have not been called to carry and parent the Son of God like Mary was, but you are called to carry a divine seed of purpose that God wants to place in you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You are called to bring forth life through your intercession. Like Mary, you are called to believe and obey even if your natural minds reject the ‘logic’ of what God is calling you to!

You may suffer rejection. You may be neglected and mocked. You may never be seen or acknowledged, or held in high esteem by many, but what you do is seen by God! He is the one who calls and enables you.

“I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Gen 15:1

You will have to discipline yourself to serve the Lord, but you don’t have to work for it… you work at it. Jesus has already done it. Mary found favor because her heart was His. She didn’t strive to do anything.

God came and sought her out, just like He has done with you. He came looking for YOU. He saw something in YOUR heart. He knew He could trust you to carry what His Spirit plants in you.

It is God who puts seed in you. He makes it grow. You will travail to bring to birth and you will struggle to nurture and sustain what God has given you. You will have to battle to protect your hard won anointing. But God, who planted and brought to birth, will be the One to keep you through times of great joy and times of great sorrow. He will be your anchor when everything is shaken. He will be your strength through it all.

Our battles intensify daily, but the Mighty God that we serve has furnished us with might, through HIS SPIRIT to be more than conquerors! We only need to maintain an attitude of humble submission, and like Mary say, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said." Luke 1:38

Amen ! THY will be done!