May it be to me as you have said. - Luke 1:38b
In the middle of this familiar Christmas story, we find this one sentence, the importance of which cannot be overstated. Mary has just been given unbelievable and unimaginable news... she has no idea exactly how this will come about... or why she has been chosen. And yet, she responds with a simple, faith-filled statement, "May it be to me as you have said."
While Mary asks a couple of questions, none of us imagine that she really understands what the angel means when he describes what will happen. Mary can't imagine what it is like to carry a child and give birth, let alone to carry and give birth to the Son of God.
This is the sort of yielded devotion and commitment that God calls us to have. And yet, we are often full of questions and conditions. We want to know how the story turns out... we want to maintain control of our own involvement in the narrative.
But Mary's response challenges us do whatever God asks of us, even if we don't fully understand the ramifications.
I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.
- Mary Brown
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