And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (ESV)

When you think of the word servant, what comes to mind? Maybe serving as a greeter, on the prayer team, or in children’s ministry. There can be both negative and positive connotations for this word, depending on who you ask. Simply put, the Mirriam-Webster definition is “one that serves others.” To serve others means that one must give of themselves, putting others’ needs before their own, as Philippians 2:3-6 tells us to do. It requires humility, just as Jesus displayed when he went to the cross for us (v. 8) and just as Mary displayed when she took on the task of bringing the Savior into the world.  

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This was a very unlikely scenario. Mary was a virgin, yet she was informed that she would conceive not only a son, but the Son of God!  It takes faith to believe the impossible, and we know that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6, NIV).  Although Mary had her questions, her response was to affirm that she was a servant of the Lord and to humbly surrender to God’s plan for her life.  She believed the message because she knew who sent the messenger. In Luke 1, verses 46-55, she praises the Lord and speaks of his good deeds and faithfulness through the generations. It seems that Mary knew the character of God, which made it easier to surrender to his will for her life despite her doubts, worries, and fears.

What in your life seems impossible in the natural realm but is possible with God? Maybe you didn’t excel in school and were put in special education classes, yet God has called you to obtain not one, but two master’s degrees and even a doctorate! Perhaps you are an older single with a desire for a godly marriage, but there are no prospects in sight and the dating apps have left you feeling discouraged and disappointed. God can suddenly and unexpectedly bring a godly man or woman into your life – and without any dating apps. Maybe, like Mary’s relative Elizabeth, you got pregnant at an advanced age and medical professionals instilled fear in you, telling you of all the things that could possibly go wrong. However, you had not one, but two healthy pregnancies. I’m here to tell you that I have seen all these things with my own eyes, so I know for a fact that God is still doing the seemingly impossible.

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What do you need to believe God for today, and how can you humbly surrender to what he is calling you to? A song that encourages me is “More Than Able” by Elevation Worship, which reminds us: “Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? Anything is possible.”

Father, may our heart’s posture, like Mary’s, be to humbly accept what you have for our lives, even when it seems impossible. When we are tempted to doubt, like the father of the boy with the unclean spirit in Mark 9:24, may we say, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Amen.