“’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’” (Luke
1:38)
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had
commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” (Matthew 1:24)
It must have taken real faith for Mary, probably a teenager,
to agree to bear Jesus, knowing that her fiancé could cast her aside, and the
world would shun her as an unwed mother.
It must have taken just as much faith for Joseph to accept a bride who
was pregnant with a child that wasn’t his, knowing that people would mock him
for being with a disgraced woman.
While Mary and Joseph’s position in society was low, their
position in God’s plan was great.
They played their roles well, not because of any skill or expertise they
had, but simply because they had said yes to God and allowed God to carry them
through.
Is it any different for us? We may see ourselves as ordinary, with no special gifts to
offer to God. In fact, we may see
ourselves as of little use to God.
But Mary and Joseph show us that God isn’t looking for someone with
outstanding talent, money, power, or ability. God is looking for a person who simply says yes to Him and
follows His will in faith.
The question is, are you such a person? Whatever God is asking you to accept,
will you respond by saying, “No, Lord, this is too hard. I can’t do it. Make it easier.” Or will you say, “Yes, Lord, I’ll
persevere through hard times because I trust you to see me through them the way
you saw Mary and Joseph through their challenges.
Answering yes isn’t always easy, but we can be confident
that God’s Holy Spirit will strengthen us and protect us. Will you say yes to God?
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