Unexplainable Jesus: 10 Days To Rediscovering The God You Thought You KnewSample

Gabriel wins the award for the most incredible birth announcement! I find it so interesting that when Mary asked a question for clarification she wasn’t scolded the way Zechariah had been. Despite her unimpressive background, Mary was a girl of great faith and courage. 

Even with these characteristics, she still felt afraid. It’s important to reflect on the fact that finding favor with God doesn’t always equate to the absence of fear. It usually means He’s calling us to the unexplainable, to something impossible apart from His power. To something beyond anything we could think, ask, imagine, or dare hope for in our lives—and that means it’s going to be a little scary, and definitely outside our comfort zone or current skill set. 

I’d say a virgin birth falls into those categories, wouldn’t you? 

Who could she go to talk to about this? Well, God in His great mercy, answers Mary’s question . . . Go to your cousin Elizabeth. Talk to her. She will believe you. And when you begin to doubt yourself, the baby inside Elizabeth’s womb will remind you what I have told you. 

I often wonder why God chose Mary. She didn’t come from a priestly family. She wasn’t part of the Jewish aristocracy so Jesus could get the best Hebrew education possible. We aren’t told of any particular skills or giftedness she had. All we’re told is that she was willing to submit to God’s plan for her life, no matter how crazy or out of the box it sounded. Pregnant without being married? She would be a disgrace among her people. 

I think the answer is depicted in her willingness to obey: God’s will is my will. 

Mary desperately needed affirmation and encouragement from her older and wiser relative. Elizabeth knew full well what it meant to live in shame and reproach among the women in her village, as one who had been barren for so many years. She understood firsthand the pain and rejection Mary would face. Oh, how greatly we all need an Elizabeth. 

Are you willing to surrender to God like that? Do you truly believe in your heart that God’s plans for your life are better than anything you have planned for yourself? 

Record your thoughts, maybe writing out a prayer to the Lord where you’re struggling . . .