Luke 1: 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."
We talk a lot about wanting to know what God’s plan is for your life. (Living in God’s will.) We desire to know this because God’s plan is perfect, and His plan for your life will therefore suit you perfectly. His plan will be just what is needed to bring you into His favor, and conform you to the image of Christ.
Will it be the easiest plan - as far as you are concerned? Will it be all downhill, wind-at-your-back? Will it be what will make everyone see you as God’s favored one? Will it be fun and enjoyable? Will His plan come without resistance or apparent failure?
Our vantage point is so narrow and brief. We cannot see around the corner, and we cannot imagine eternity, much less see it. God can, and God does. His plan for you is based upon His eternal plan for all, and often has very little to do with producing momentary ease or fortune for you. This may be confounding to those who may consider “God’s favor” to equal success right here, right now. Or freedom from want, or pain, or suffering.
But God works in mysteriously wonderful ways. Mary is a prime example. Mary is told by Gabriel to, “Rejoice!” Why? Because she is “highly favored,” by God. And yet her life is about to be sent into one of the greatest tailspins of any life ever lived. On one hand, she is chosen to be the mother of the long-promised Messiah! On the other hand, her pregnancy will be out-of-wedlock, and no one will know she has been so wonderfully chosen for more than thirty years – and - by the time they find out, Jesus will only be popular with those who are in no position to benefit Mary’s life in any way.
What I admire most about Mary is she seemed to understand what was going to be required of her, and how challenging and difficult it would be for her life. That everything about her would change, and that people would view her as anything but “favored.” In fact, most would see her as worthy of stoning. And yet, knowing this to be God’s plan for her life, she said, “Let it be.”
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