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And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “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.” (Luke 1:34-37)
I love the simplicity of how Mary answers the angel. She doesn’t argue, she doesn’t doubt, she just asks “How?” Because Mary knows where babies come from, and she knows that virgins don’t normally get pregnant. And so she wants to know what God’s plans are. Should she move up the wedding date, or what?
The angel recognizes that she’s being practical, not doubting, and he answers her in the same spirit. “No,” he says, “you don’t have to worry about the details. The Holy Spirit will handle this by miracle.” And he tells her about her relative Elizabeth, who is also pregnant when that shouldn’t be possible.
And so Mary is set free to be happy. She doesn’t have to do anything. She can simply accept this wonderful Gift from God—His own Son!—and rejoice in Him. And we can do the same—relax and be happy, because Jesus has come to be born and to live and to die and to rise, all to make us His own.
WE PRAY: Lord, I’m so glad You handle everything. You have given me all that I need. Thank You. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- If you were in Mary’s place and the angel gave you that kind of news, what would you have said? Why?
- If God is in control, do we need to worry?
- How can we learn to trust Him?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
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