Luke 1:26–38

There are moments in Scripture where heaven seems to bend low enough for us to touch it. One of those moments happened in a garden in Nazareth, when a young girl named Mary encountered the angel Gabriel.

She wasn’t royalty, or wealthy, or powerful in the eyes of the world, but Heaven saw her as the one. 

Mary was going about the ordinary rhythms of her day when the extraordinary arrived:

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  —Luke 1:28

Can you imagine hearing those words? Especially as a teenage girl, living in a humble village, suddenly visited by an angel with a world-shifting message.

We’re told Mary was “troubled”—and who wouldn’t be? In my own life experiences, I’ve learned that God’s call on our lives often begins in an unexpected, surprising, and overwhelming way. 

Gabriel tells her she will bear the Messiah—the Savior of the world. Her thoughts probably traveled rapidly from impossible to unlikely to unthinkable. The beauty of God is that He is never limited by human uncertainty. 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you… For nothing will be impossible with God.”

God wasn’t asking Mary to understand every detail; He was asking her to trust Him enough to say yes. 

There are moments in our lives when God calls us into something we do not feel prepared for—
a new season, a change of direction, a challenge bigger than what we think we can handle.

Mary shows us that obedience isn’t about confidence in ourselves. It’s about confidence in God.

Her response remains one of the greatest declarations of faith in all of Scripture:

“I am the Lord’s servant… May it be to me as you have said.”
—Luke 1:38

Mary did not respond, “I understand everything.”

She didn’t say, “I feel ready and completely confident.” 

Mary simply said, “Lord, I am Yours.”

And when we answer like Mary, God will honor our faithfulness, and that’s where miracles begin.

Mary teaches us that God often speaks in unexpected ways – in ordinary spaces where we least expect divine interruptions. And when He calls us into something greater than ourselves, He also equips us, strengthens us, and walks with us.

Your “yes” may not feel big.  It may feel whispered, hesitant, or trembling—but God can use even a trembling yes to change the world.

Prayer

Lord, give me Mary’s courage to say yes even when I feel unprepared. Help me trust Your voice, embrace Your calling, and walk forward in faith. Let my life echo those precious words: “Let it be unto me.” Amen.