Troubled. That was Mary's initial response when the angel told her that she was highly favored among women. The angel comes to Mary and tells her that she's got God's personal attention, He's with her and she's troubled. I suppose that could be a natural response. After all Moses said, "God, I think you got the wrong guy. I can't speak," when God called him. Jonah went on cruise in the opposite direction when God called him and then ultimately went for a swim. Gideon said, "Lord, I'm a farmer not a military man, check out my new fleece."
So when God shows up out of nowhere and tells you you're favored, "troubled" just might be a natural reaction. When God put His finger on someone in the past to be His person, it wasn't always for an easy task. After all, a lot of the prophets in the past had a pretty rough go. Mary knew that at the least her life was about to change forever. Her plans for her own cozy life were headed for a major overall.
I'm sure that Mary had a ton more questions than are listed in Luke 1. No doubt all the ramifications of what the angel spelled out began to race through her mind, not the least of which was how am I gonna explain this one. Apparently, there aren't any witnesses to this angelic encounter and revolutionary message. Oh sure, everyone was expecting a Messiah, but not in the same way Mary was expecting.
As startling and potentially disturbing as this news was to Mary, she submitted to God. What if Mary would have said, "I don't think so." Who would have been on God's "B" list. Joseph and Francine just sounds odd to me. Ave Henrietta really throws off the meter. She consented. She conceived. She delivered.
For Mary to become the mother of Jesus, she had to surrender and be willing to sacrifice her own agenda. Mothering God couldn't have been easy. Talk about pressure. All of history is bearing down upon you. No one would be under greater scrutiny as a parent, a mother than Mary. Yet she agreed.
Throughout my years of ministry I've discovered that God picks all sorts of people for all sorts of jobs. Sometimes people say "yes" and sometimes they say "no." I can't imagine what would happen in our world, community, neighborhood, family if we all had the same attitude as Mary, "I'm the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
God, I am your servant. Use me how you wish.
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