Mary's Secret to Embracing Life-Shaking Circumstances

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." —Luke 1:35-38

Mary responded to the angel's life-changing news with humility, submissiveness, and obedience. What was her secret? In last week's message from True Woman '10, we were challenged by Janet Parshall to give our plans, timetables, and expectations to the One who has a very different, sovereign plan for our lives.

Janet Parshall: 

I love this translation from the 1901 version of the American Standard Version of Scripture. It says, “For no word of God shall be void of power.” Does that not take this Book and make it all the more amazing? “No word of God shall be void of power.” This is not just a book on your night stand. This is not just a book among many books in your house. This is a vibrant, living, powerful, inspired, God-breathed, truth setting free, liberating text of love letters from our King.

No word of God shall be void of power. God accomplishes His purposes through the power of His Word. 

Of Zechariah and Elizabeth, she said:

These are not some plastic Bible superheroes. These are real people, and despite the ongoing answer of “no,” they continued to honor and worship God. How is that possible when God keeps saying “no," how can we still trust and obey and submit? How?

Well, I think something in Zechariah and Elizabeth's life teaches us that. They knew God. They spent time with God and trusted God and loved God. They left the answers to their prayers in His hands regardless of the result. The interesting thing is that despite the long, long, tearful years of praying for a child, and always hearing a “no,” it didn't make their faith go dry. The years of “no” actually made their faith go deep. That's an important lesson for us. God had not turned His back. God was not in absentia. God heard; He cared, and He answered according to His good and perfect will. And righteous, blameless people walking in all of His commandments know how to say, "Nevertheless, Lord, not my will, but Thine.”

Parshall concluded with a quote from Alan Redpath:

We are prepared to serve the Lord only by sacrifice. We are fit for the work of God only when we have wept over it, prayed about it, and then we are enabled by Him to tackle the job that needs to be done. May God give to us hearts that bleed, eyes that are wide open to see, minds that are clear to interpret God's purposes, wills that are obedient, and a determination that is utterly unflinching as we set before the tasks he would have us to do.

Please join us this week for our Women's Summer Study.  It is never too late to begin.  There is still room for you! This week we will hear a message from Karen Loritts, "A True Woman Learns to Trust."