Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38

God’s Word will never change but it can change you.

Initially, Mary brooded over what the Angel Gabriel had said. She however learnt to turn her eyes away from how she saw herself to become what God saw in her. Mary’s willingness to obey and submit to God’s Word enabled God to transform this ordinary village girl into an extraordinary vessel for His use.

It is not who you are—but who God says you are that matters most.

Like in Mary’s case, there are times when God’s Word seems difficult for you to bear or understand but keep studying and meditating on what God has revealed. The more you do, the more you grow in trust and contentment. Imagine what you will become if you are willing for God to do in you and through you and for you according to His Word.

When Mary said “let it be to me according to your word”, she fully surrendered her whole self to God with all that she is and all that she has, and God gives her all that He is and all that He has. Mary didn’t end up with less but she gets more than ever expected. After all, God's Word can still fear and stir faith, starve doubt and feed hope and scatter sorrow and soothe pain.

Are you holding back from God because you are worried over what it may entail?

For Mary, it was more than her reputation that risked being ruined. Her life was at stake for carrying a child that Joseph knew wasn't his. Obeying God can be difficult and at times feel burdensome. Rest assured, God will sustain you by empowering you with His grace to obey Him. As difficult as you may feel about obeying God, the thing God calls you to do is often the thing that brings you the greatest joy. After all, a life that takes delight to become what God calls it to be, will never be anything less than God’s best.