Rev Gav

Obedience

Luke 1:38

³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Reflect

After the angel had spoken to Mary, she answered with these words of obedience. Do not think for a second it was easy to say this — even to an angelic messenger. To agree to this plan was to agree to being subjected to ridicule, danger, difficulty, and heartache. She would have had to explain the situation to her fiancé Joseph. How would he take the news? Would he believe her? And surely, if Jesus was going to be the Messiah —the divine king who was going to rescue the nation of Israel — then life was not going to be straight forward, and yet, Mary did say these words. She was obedient.

Mary’s obedience is important because Luke wants to remind us that Mary still had a choice. Obedience to God’s plan is a decision, and God does not overrule our free will. It is the same for Christians today; we can choose whether to join in with God’s mission in the world or not.

To choose to follow God means to choose to not to follow yourself or anything else. It means putting God’s desires above our own needs and wants, and it is not an easy thing to do — especially in our ‘me’ oriented culture.

Do

Today, say to God, “Whatever your plan is for my life, wherever you lead, I will follow.”

Pray

Holy God
I trust in your promises
and know you want the best for me.
Help me know your will and purposes
for my life and my relationships.
I choose to be obedient to you
this day and for ever.
Amen.

Think

If you are a person of faith, in what ways do you wrestle with God’s plan for your own life?

How easy is it to say to God, “Whatever your plan is for my life, wherever you lead, I will follow.” Why or why not?