Luke 1:26-38
"The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.’ "
- Luke 1:30-32
Your heart starts pounding, your hands get clammy, your stomach starts to churn, and your thoughts go to a deep dark place you usually push far, far away. You’re all alone, no one can understand what you are feeling, this is more than you can handle. We have all experienced it, we have all felt it in our own way. Fear. Fear of failure. Fear of losing someone. Fear of harm. Fear of making mistakes.
In this passage Luke is describing a frightful experience for Mary. Not only is she going to have a baby out of wedlock, but for millions of people he will be the most important person to ever walk the Earth. She faced losing her fiancé, exile from everything she knew, and so much more.
The beauty of Mary being chosen by God to bring his Son into the world is in her reaction. She doesn’t react to the fear that has to be going through her body. She doesn’t flee, wail against the injustice of what could happen, or even voice her fears. She simply says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word". It’s as if Mary immediately understood what was being placed upon her shoulders and knew that her faith would sustain her.
How many of us can say the same. That being faced with seemingly unbeatable odds we immediately remember that our faith will sustain us. God is with us, every moment of every day just as he was with Mary. We need not fear but have faith.
Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, be with us today and always to take the fear away. Help us to feel the peace Mary felt on that fateful day. In your name we pray, Amen.
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