Have you fulfilled your potential? Have you accomplished something someone else believed and said you would? Have you seen someone accomplish something you or others foretold they would? How did you feel when you accomplished it or witnessed someone else do so?
Having someone believe in you is energizing. Accomplishing something they said you could, is exhilarating. Why? Often, we weren’t sure we could. It can be just as enjoyable to watch someone else accomplish something we believed they could.
As we see in today’s passage, Mary is part of the fulfillment of prophecy with regards to Jesus. She is the virgin mother who gives birth to the Messiah. Matthew likes to point out the fulfillment of prophecy. This is just one of many times in his gospel that he points our fulfillment. But what if Mary had not accepted her role in God’s plan?
Some may think Mary had no choice. Yet, that is a mistake. God has given us freewill. We can choose to obey or disobey. We can choose to believe or not. We can choose to follow his plan or ours. Mary chose to accept God’s plan and follow it. Her acceptance of God’s plan is an example for us. Her choice to risk everything to follow God’s plan is an example of trusting God knows better than we do and he will provide for us.
Has God called you to something? Is it risky? Scary? Are you going to follow his plan? I encourage everyone who has a calling from God to follow his plan. Just as he called Mary and provided for her, he will provide for you. Though you may think about what may happen if you fail, God is putting things in place for you to succeed. God does not call his people into failure, rather he calls us into success as we trust him.
I pray we all see Mary’s risky choice in following God’s plan. I pray we see God providing for Mary. I pray each one of us will choose to follow God’s plan and trust him to provide for us along the way. See Mary’s risky choice. See God provide. Choose to follow God’s plan. Trust God to provide.
Matthew 1:22-23 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
Marty Pressey 