Have you thought what it might have been like to be in Mary’s shoes? Have you imagined what it would have been like to have an angel appear to give you a message from God? What would your reaction be?
Mary was a young, teenage girl. She was betrothed to Joseph. Though the marriage ceremony had not taken place, the betrothal ceremony had. Being betrothed meant more than a simple engagement as we view it today.
According to Jewish custom they were considered husband and wife, yet they were not living together yet. Once the betrothal ceremony took place, the husband would begin building a place for the couple to live. Often it was putting an addition onto the house of the husbands’ parents or building a small house on his parents’ property. Once their new dwelling was complete, the wedding ceremony would take place and they would begin living together.
It was during the period between betrothal and wedding that Gabriel visited Mary to give her the message of her impending pregnancy. Though we are not told exactly where Mary was when Gabriel appeared, it is likely she was at her parent’s house or somewhere nearby. She was alone. Can you imagine? It was not just any angel who came to her. It was Gabriel, an archangel who was a personal messenger from God. He had appeared to Daniel hundreds of years before.
Was Mary trembling in his presence? She was certainly a little baffled by his message and asked for an explanation. Yet in the end, she humbled herself to be God’s servant. Mary submitted herself to being an instrument of God’s plan.
I pray we all spend a little time pondering Mary’s story. I pray we see her as an example of being a servant. I pray each of us submit to God’s plan in the same way Mary did. Think about God’s Word. Learn from it. See examples of God’s servants. Be a servant of God’s.
Luke 1:30-32 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
Marty Pressey 