I am terrible at the game two truths and a lie. In this game, you tell a group of people two truths about you and one lie, and they have to guess which is which. I find that I come up with a lie that is too obvious or way too nuanced.
Here in Luke, we see a young, teenage girl being met by an angel. The angel brought the words that the entire Bible had been waiting on: the Savior was coming! More than that, Mary would be the one that would carry the Messiah and bring Him into the world.
Had I been in Mary’s situation, I’m sure that all of my statements of meeting an angel, being told that I had favor with God, and that I would carry the Messiah would be guessed as a lie. Honestly, I would even have a hard time believing what I had seen and been told.
But Mary didn’t waver. She obeyed fully when the angel spoke to her in Luke 1:26-38. Why was Mary able to do this? Mary knew the character of God. She knew that He could be trusted and was worthy of her devotion and obedience. Mary’s response is an example worthy of following as we think about what wholehearted obedience looks like in our own lives.
Mary’s Faithfulness
Though we don’t know much about Mary’s life up until this point, we know that Mary spent her days faithfully trusting God. It’s through her steady faithfulness that Mary was able to trust the angel’s words as he spoke to her.
It’s one thing that an angel appeared. It’s another thing that this was one of the first times God spoke in 400 years to His people. He didn’t speak to the nobility. He didn’t arrive with pomp and trumpets blaring. He came to a lowly teenager in the no name town of Bethlehem. She was a virgin. She was engaged. She was poor. And she was the one God had chosen to be the mother of the Messiah.
Notice what the angel says, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!” Mary had found favor with God. Why was this true of her? Mary had been faithful. Mary loved God. She walked with God. When we look throughout Scripture of those who are referred to having favor with God, we see individuals whose hearts love God. They live with integrity and faithfulness. This was true of Mary.
God didn’t choose her because she was the most beautiful or wealthy or perfectly put together. Mary was simply open handed to God.
Living a life of obedience is one that begins with faithfulness. It’s living assured that God is who He says He is. His ways are the best ways. Whatever He calls you to do is good and worthy of saying yes to. Is your life marked by faithfulness? What may God be calling you to trust Him with?
Mary’s Humility
The next aspect of obedience that we learn from Mary is humility. When the angel came to her, she didn’t respond with puffed up arrogance or the thought of “Why yes, of course I’m the one. I deserve it.” Mary wondered why God would choose her.
In the passage, it states that Mary was “greatly troubled” (Luke 1:29). This is not saying that she was distressed or worried. It is saying that she was shocked and confused why an angel of God would come to a woman and especially her.
When the angel gave her the great promise that the long-awaited Messiah would be born through her, she asked how it could happen since she was a virgin. In all of her responses, we see a young girl who understands who she is and who God is.
She didn’t underplay her position out of false humility nor did she overplay her significance. She listened. She asked how God could make this miracle happen. And she trusted.
Being a humble servant of Christ is one of the marks of believers. We know that everything we have is a gift of grace. As such, we live in response to the outpouring of that love and grace. We are excited to say yes to God when He calls us to obedience.
Being obedient to God is not simply saying yes when it’s something we’re excited to do or believe that we’re owed. It’s saying yes to whatever God calls us to, knowing that He is the one who will carry us through.
Mary’s Decisiveness
The final thing we learn from Mary’s example is her decisiveness. Look at what Mary says in verse 38, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.”
Mary firmly and immediately said yes. She didn’t respond with, “Well, maybe. Let me think about it.” Or “I don’t know if that’s something I want to do.” Or “You know what. Let me pray about it. I’m going to need God to make it super clear it’s what He wants me to do.” Mary didn’t have any of those responses. She just said yes.
Obedience to God is something that we can be confident in, for we know that we can trust all that God asks of us. Even if it doesn’t make sense in the moment, we know that God will guide us through the ask and show us what He is doing whether in the moment or down the road.
By Mary saying yes to this declaration of the angel, she was subjecting herself to ridicule, rejection, and even death. Yet Mary knew that this honor was not something to be passed up.
When God calls you to something new, what is your first response? Most of the time, our first responses are indicative of the condition of our hearts. If there’s anything within you that doubts or trusts God, take that to Him. He won’t be caught off guard or angry. He wants to show you His gentle care and trustworthiness.
Obedience is an opportunity to worship God in the way that we trust and follow Him. Mary’s obedience is one for us to learn from and follow, knowing that we serve the same God.
