Devotional: Blessed is She Who Believed What the Lord Said

Luke 1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary had been told by the angel Gabriel,  “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.”  Her response, after asking how this could be since she was a virgin, was,  “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”

When Mary went to visit Elizabeth, Elizabeth said, "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary was most likely a young adult or maybe even a teenager according to some commentators.  Can you imagine how it would go today if a young adult or late teenager had this encounter with the angel Gabriel?  

"Wait! What? You are going to make me an unwed mother?  I don't even like babies!  That is going to be so inconvenient! No way!  That is not going to happen to me.  Hey, don't leave yet, I want to get a selfie with you so I can post it on Facebook.  My friends are not going to believe this if I don't post a picture on Facebook! Maybe if this really does happen and I get pregnant, at least I can get an abortion, because a baby would be way too inconvenient."

I would like to think that maybe today's young adult would be more mature than that, and that as a Christian, they would not think in those terms.  All imagination aside, though, Mary's response is remarkable.

She believed the Lord and submitted to His will.  She knew it would not be easy.  She was engaged to be married, but not married.  She was a virgin.  She had to break the news to Joseph and trust that he would not dump her and accuse her of unfaithfulness.  She had to endure the stares and disapproving remarks of those who did not believe what she told them about the child she carried.  It was no easy deal. But she believed and submitted to God's will regardless.

Many say they believe in God, but do they believe God as Mary did?  How about you and me?  Sometimes when the going gets tough it's easier to say I believe in God than it is to say I believe God.  God will always stay true to the promises in His Word.  Believe Him.