And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God...For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
~Luke 1:34-38~
For nothing will be impossible with God.
This was the extent of the explanation given to Mary in her confusion during the annunciation. Yet, that was all that she needed; her faith was strong and her obedience to God stronger still.
How often do we have that kind of strength? How many times have we opted out of things because we were unsure of exactly how we would do them?
Mary didn't need the intricate details or all of the specifics of how; she just said yes. Just the same, we don't need all the answers now. We don't need to know exactly how means will be provided; we just need to say yes.
The biggest thing that keeps us from saying yes if fear. Fear is sneaky, it is often masked as rationality, though it is quite the opposite.
I really like the movie "Yes Man". This is not simply because it is funny and features the adorable Zooey Deschanel. I like it because it reveals something about what we call "rational" living and decision making.
So many of us live with that parental voice in our heads that tells us to assess all of the possible outcomes and to make responsible decisions. Of course we should be responsible stewards of our lives, however I believe some of us have taken this idea of responsibility to a tragic extreme.
I say tragic because in our struggles to be responsible we often miss or ignore God's calls. He entrusted us with our lives not to maintain descent reputations, gather up nest eggs, and avoid as much struggle as possible. He entrusted these lives to be lived for Him. To entrust is not merely to give away, but to give with expectations of return.
The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 shows us that it is not the one who, in fear, plays it safe, but those who take risks that receive large returns.
If God were to send His angel to you today and ask something risky of you, would you say "yes" in faithful obedience or "well, I don't know..." in fear?
If you are leaning toward the latter, now is the perfect time to let loose your fears and lean strong on the promises of God. This Christmas, give the gift of yes to the LORD!
Don't be a "NO MAN!, NO MAN!, NO MAN!" Be a "YES MAN!" (or woman...)
