Mary - Faithful Servant Of God

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ’Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’" -- Rom. 11:33-34 (NIV)

Second, God always does what is right and best.

"He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." -- Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV)

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." -- Romans 12:2 (NIV)

So in light of all this, what was Mary’s response to the angel’s announcement?

"’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her." -- Luke 1:38 (NIV)

Mary could have responded quite differently.

* She could have said no; or she could have begged off, claiming that she wasn’t the right woman for the job. But we see no hint of hesitation or reluctance.

* She could have demanded more information. Although she did ask one question, it was only for the purpose of understanding, not for evaluating whether to accept the commission.

But Mary simply said, "OK." Then the angel left - there was nothing more to be said.

We should emulate Mary’s faith

I would like to suggest that the mothers in this room are in a very similar situation to Mary’s, with the exception that none of your children are quite as perfect as her Son.

God didn’t ask you what kind of children you wanted, or how many, or when. You didn’t get to specify size, or shape, or hair color. Sex, personality, intelligence, athletic ability, and musical ability were all out of your control. If we had our way, they’d all be tall, tan, talented, and terrific. But instead, God simply decided, and said, "Here you are. I have given you a child ideally suited to the plan I have for your life. This child’s abilities and disabilities, all of their unique idiosyncrasies, are designed by Me according to My perfect will.

The temptation is to say, "God, I’m not sure about this. I was expecting something different. I wanted a [fill in the blank]. I’m not sure I’m up to this. I don’t want children yet; or I’m too old to have children; or We don’t have enough money; etc. etc.. There are a lot of ways we could respond to the children God has given us, but only one right way. That’s to respond as Mary did. "OK God. I trust you."

We also have to recognize that for some women, it’s not a matter of accepting the children God gives them; it’s accepting the fact that God hasn’t given them children. You hear people complain about their children, and you think, "I’ll take them!" You think, "how can they be so ungrateful?" You hear other women joke about how easy it is for them to conceive. But for childless women, the only right answer, and the only one that can bring peace, is to say, "I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said."