How Mary’s Surrender Teaches Us to Trust - The Crosswalk Devotional - December 20
How Mary’s Surrender Teaches Us to Trust
By Hannah Benson
Bible Reading:
“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” - Luke 1:46-49 ESV
Have we ever stopped to consider how Mary may have felt when the angel Gabriel visited her? She was just a young girl, newly betrothed to Joseph. While the Bible doesn’t share with us her exact age, scholars speculate she may have been as young as 14.
Now consider the fear that likely coursed through her veins when Gabriel delivered the news that she, an unmarried virgin, would bear a son.
How scandalous!
Perhaps questions ravaged through her mind: What would people think? No one would believe her if she told them the truth. With a pregnancy outside of marriage, the townspeople would stone her.
And Joseph?
Would he believe her? If he didn’t, surely he’d feel betrayed.
Instead of arguing or begging the Lord to choose someone else, Mary simply asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (v. 34).
Though the plan didn’t make sense to her, she chose to swallow her fears. Hard.
As Luke writes in verse 38, Mary humbly responds: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”. And the angel departed from her.”
Sometimes, I wonder if Mary knew the full implications of what she was saying yes to. Surely, the possibility of public shame and stoning crossed her mind. But whether she understood the full danger or not, Mary surrendered her future as Joseph’s wife, her reputation, and even her life to the Lord.
Despite the danger, she chose to sing the praises of the Lord, saying “my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (v. 47). The Magnificat, as it’s often called, is the cry of Mary’s heart as she soaked in the goodness of God and shared how “he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (v. 49).
Now, none of us has been asked to carry the Son of God inside of us the same way Mary did, but we have been asked to carry Him in our hearts.
And following God does come at a cost.
Are we willing to risk everything? To praise God no matter what? To surrender our future, whatever that looks like? To surrender our reputation and even our very life itself?
Mary was willing.
Did she know exactly why the Son of God came into the world? Perhaps, like the rest of the Israelites, she anticipated a Messiah who would rescue God’s people from their physical enemies. In this case, the Roman Empire.
She didn’t need to fully understand why. Instead, she chose to embrace God’s plan, surrendering and yielding to His sovereignty even if it cost her.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What may God be calling you to today? How might He want you to share the love of Jesus Christ with others?
Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone even when it’s uncomfortable, to surrender and submit to His plan, and trust His promises?
To long for the Giver more than the gift, the Promise-Keeper more than the promise itself?
If we read the other Gospel accounts of Jesus’s birth, we know Joseph contemplated divorcing Mary (Matthew 1:19). Being a just man, he didn’t want to put her to shame. But before he could, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife and that the child was from the Holy Spirit (v. 20).
God will always take care of each of us. When we walk in obedience, even when it looks impossible, or we may lose something we hold dear, we choose to walk in that obedience anyway.
It doesn’t mean things will always turn out the way we want. Pain is a funny thing: it can either push us further from God or pull us closer to Him, depending on how we choose to respond.
Mary could’ve never foreseen the plans God had for her or the role she would’ve ultimately played in bringing God’s Son into the world. Had she resisted, God’s plans still would’ve prevailed. Perhaps he would’ve chosen someone else for the task. But then Mary would’ve missed out on an amazing opportunity to be part of what God was doing.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV) says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
When we face the unknown, we must remember we are not trusting what we can see, but in the One Who sees all things, Whose wisdom transcends our limited view and Whose thoughts are not our thoughts, and whose ways are higher than our ways.
Do you think anyone ever imagined He would send the Messiah born miraculously through a virgin? Do you think anyone ever imagined that Jesus Christ would come to save us, not as a war hero but as a humble carpenter who would grow up and take the punishment we deserved by dying on the cross in our place?
Pray with me: Dear Father God, sometimes I struggle to trust You. Please help me to learn from Mary’s surrender, to trust You, and to walk in obedience even if it looks like I may lose something else I hold dear. I know Your plans are higher than my own (Isaiah 55). Thank You for Your great, indescribable love for me! In Jesus’s Name, Amen
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
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Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!
Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
