I look at this picture and it makes me stop and think about Mary. She must have been scared out of her wits. Think about it for a moment. First of all an angel appears to you. Are you freaking kidding me? Now days Mary would have wondered if someone had slipped something in her morning coffee. She would have to be hallucinating. Can you imagine the thoughts that would be running through her mind if this happened to her now? "Who is this and what is going on here? Am I being punked? Where are the hidden cameras? Am I on America's Funniest Videos? Seriously who are you and what are you doing in my house? I'll call 911 if you don't leave now." Yea this may sound funny but stop and think about it, she was 13 years old. I totally understood that back then the situation and people were totally different, but again imagine Mary in this day and age.
What would she tell her best friend? Would they understand or would she be bullied for being a lunatic? What if one of her friends posted this story on Facebook? She would be the laughing stock at school. She couldn't even mention the name of God at school so how could she ever convince people she was telling the truth? How many of her friends would try to convince her to get an abortion or give the baby up for adoption? Listen maybe this seem a little far fetched, but to be truthful, even in her day and age, she should have been stoned for getting pregnant before getting married. She was ostracized and criticized. I am sure she was the topic of conversation around many dinner tables. I can hear the voice of a father of one of her friends now; "I forbid you to have anything to do with Mary. She is dead to you. She is a lunatic." I am sure she lost all her friends and even family members had to think she was crazy. I won't even venture to try to imagine what was going through Joseph's mind back then.
Luke 1:30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
How could she not be afraid? She was facing death by stoning, yet she wasn't. What did she know that most of us tend to forget? God was in control. She had a faith in God that was so deep and profound that she trusted that He would work it all out for her good. Even before those words by Paul were penned, she knew God had her in the palm of His hand and she trusted that everything would be okay. She knew that with God, all things are possible. She had heard the story about God parting the Red Sea, so she had faith that this pregnancy would not mean her death. In spite of all the dreaded scenarios that she faced, she trusted in God without question. WOW! That is what I call amazing faith. Honestly I don't know if my faith in God is that powerful.
The other thing that amazes me about Mary is that because of her powerful faith in God, she found favor with God. In other words God blessed her in many ways that were seen and unseen. She had a faith and peace and confidence that got her through some of the toughest experiences ever. Can you imagine standing there watching soldiers murder your son? I know I can't imagine it or even begin to comprehend the things she endured as the mother of Jesus Christ. Yet she endured it all with grace and love and peace. Her faith was tested over and over many times yet she remained strong in her faith of God. Simply amazing! Oh how I long to have a faith that deep and profound. Trust me, my faith in God is very strong, but I am not sure how strong it is when I compare it to Mary's faith.
Lord I thank you for the sacrifice Mary made to give birth to our Savior. Thank you for this example of ultimate faith in you. May my faith continue to grow so that I may not live afraid any more. May you pour out your favor upon me as I increase my faith and trust in you, in Jesus name I pray, amen.
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