11 December

Let it be unto me according to your word

“Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.” Luke 1:38

Mary must have known that she was an unlikely candidate for 'Mother of the Messiah'. As a virgin and an unmarried woman, many an obstacle loomed ahead of her that could have choked her with fear.

Yet her response to Gabriel's message is a confident and simple 'yes'.

What is Mary's 'yes' rooted in? It doesn't stem from her confidence in herself - her ability, resources or circumstances. Rather, her 'yes' was rooted in her identity as a "servant of the Lord". We see her confident in who the Lord is - she trusted that God would sustain, protect and provide for her.

Mary's humility and acceptance is a position we can seek to adopt daily. It places us firmly in the safest place we can possibly be: submitted to the will of God. It is the best antidote to fear.

What was the result of Mary's humble 'yes'? Through her - however unlikely or insignificant she may have been - God brought hope to a broken world. So, what is the product of our humble 'yes'? Like Mary, however unlikely or insignificant we may feel, God will use us to bring hope to a broken world.

Chloe Benson