Luke 1:26-56
To believe or not to believe. Probably a day does not go by that we are not faced with some decision that is based on whether we believe somebody or not. In today's devotional, we find this problem of whether or not to believe, facing a young Jewish girl named Mary. I am sure, like any young woman who is engaged, she is looking forward to planning a wedding and making a home for her family, but, in vs 28 of our text, everything, all her plans and her destiny is changed "and the Angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women." The angel, whose name is Gabriel, goes on to tell her, she is going to have a Son and that Son would not be from her husband-to-be, but from God above.
This year's devotional is focusing on the battles we, and our God in heaven, face each day as we walk with Him. So, at first we ask, where is the battle in this story? Certainly, it is not a battle for God to send His Son as an infant into the womb of this young woman. How He did it, I do not know. Just like I don't know how He created the earth or formed man out of dust or creates life in the womb today, but I believe He does. No, the battle, as I see it, is not to get a baby into the womb of Mary, but to get belief into her heart. The Bible does not show how Gabriel appeared, evidently something out of the ordinary, as she had to be calmed down. You would think after seeing an angel, she would have no problem believing what he said, but It seems, she still can not believe that God could do this without her having union with her husband-to-be. She asks, "How can this be?" (vs 33) It is at this point we see the mercy of God as He explains it. God is not always that patient with us, as the old saying says, delayed obedience is disobedience. So God is in a battle for the heart of Mary. Common sense says, this cannot happen; God says it can. In vs. 35, He tells her "the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee." That should be enough to make anyone believe. I am sure Mary has been told of all the powerful miracles God has done in the life of Israel. She should not need anymore explanation than that, but God brings it down to earth, a testimony, if you like, of someone she knows, her cousin Elizabeth, who has conceived a son in her old age. She cannot deny that has happened, for as God says in vs. 37, "for with God nothing shall be impossible." Mary has all of her doubts answered, and says in vs. 38, "behold the handmaid of the Lord", I believe. Battle won.
There is a battle for belief in every heart on this planet. That battle goes on twenty-four hours a day. Not a day goes by that we are not faced with the decision, are we going to believe God or not? If you are having doubts about His promises, ask Him. He is merciful, as proven in the life of Mary. He will answer in word and deed.
~Jim Frantz
