“I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants.”Luke 1:38 (TLB)
If you want to break free from the fear that’s keeping you from all God has for you, you can learn a lot from the people in the Christmas story. Their choices show us what it means to live in true freedom.
Mary was just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. She wasn’t anyone particularly important. She was poor. Her family didn’t have any influence or power. She wasn’t even married!
So when the angel told her she would be the mother of the Son of God, she must have been overwhelmed—yet she chose to surrender her life to God. That’s the first step to freedom, and it’s how Mary overcame her feelings of inadequacy.
The Living Bible paraphrase says this is how Mary responded: “I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants” (Luke 1:38).
Has God ever told you to do something that you thought was impossible? God’s dream for our lives will always be bigger than anything we could ever dream up. That’s why, when we hear from God, we might feel overwhelmed by his plan.
But God will never tell you to do something without giving you the resources, the time, the network, the money, and everything else you need to do it. You don’t have to do anything on your own strength. He even gives you the power you need to do his will through the Holy Spirit.
Mary’s response reminds us how to pray when we’re overwhelmed and don’t know where we’ll find the strength to obey God.
You could say something like this to God: “You’re my Creator, and whatever your plan is, I want to cooperate with it. You made me, and you know what’s best for me. I am your servant. I’m willing to do whatever you want to do with my life.”
If you’re not praying this way, you’ll live in constant tension. Why? Because you can’t have peace when God’s going one way and you’re going another. Living that way will create a lot of fear and uncertainty in your life.
When we go in the direction of our own plans and trust in our own strength, we’re going to hit dead ends—but God’s plan doesn’t have a dead end. It will always lead to life when we pray and surrender our will to him.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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