I am the Servant of the Lord

Then Mary said,

"Behold the maidservant of the Lord!

Let it be to me according to your word."

And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38, NKJV

I have a very active imagination. When I read Scripture, I always try to visualize the scene, the setting, the stage (if you will) in order to understand what was happening. And when I see this story unfold in my mind, there is something about it that touches me on a very deep level every time. Let me share it with you...

It was a cold evening in late November, perhaps with a dusting of snow on the hilltops of the Galilee, but the sky was cloudless and the stars bright. All through the village special candles have been lit and special prayers have been prayed to commemorate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights that celebrates the miraculous provision and protection of God for His people through the ages. But now families are retiring for the night. Mary's parents and her sisters have already gone to bed, but this young girl lingered in the candlelight of the Hanukkah menorah.

She was about fourteen, a child by our standards but of marrying age in ancient times. She was betrothed to Joseph, a local carpenter from a family closely related on their fathers' sides. Perhaps she was thinking of Joseph on that wintry night, and the life that they would spend together. Perhaps the candlelight danced upon the golden band of her betrothal ring. Perhaps she even whispered a prayer before she extinguished the candles.

And then, all of a sudden, she was no longer alone in the room. Every corner was bathed in the soft glow of a heavenly light, perhaps the scent of incense filled the air, and a deep but gentle voice spoke to her: "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" And with the encouragement to be not afraid, Gabriel informed her of her destiny in the eternal plan of God. She was a virgin, having never been with a man, but the Holy Spirit was about to perform a miracle in her body, conceiving within her the very Son of God.

At that moment, as Mary faced the angel of the Lord, did she understand the ramifications of everything that was being said? Did she know how hard the explanations were going to be...to her parents, her sisters, her friends, to her beloved and betrothed husband? Did she comprehend the stigma that she and her son would have to endure at the hands of the village gossips who knew how to count the months? She was going to be pregnant out of wedlock with no other explanation than, "I have conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit." Who was going to believe this betrothed girl?

But Mary was a righteous daughter of Israel, heir to both a kingly and priestly lineage. If God said it was going to happen, then that's all there was to the matter. The only question she had asked was: "How is this possible, since I'm still a virgin?" But when the answer was given, the question was settled. She knew the history of her people well. When God issued the call, there was only one of two things you could do: resist and suffer wrath, or submit and receive God's blessing. Mary's heart was devoted to her God.

"Behold, the maidservant of the Lord!" And it is said as an exclamation. There was no doubt in this girl's mind whose she was. She may be the daughter of a prince and the granddaughter of a priest, she may be betrothed to the legal heir to David's throne, she may be despised, rejected, mocked, and mourned. But here she declared without regret or reservation: I belong to the Lord. He can do to me just as He sees fit! "Let it be to me according to your word."

How God longs, even now, to hear those words from your people. "Look, here I am, the servant of the Most High God. I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord. I'll do what you want me to do. I'll say what you want me to say, I'll be what you want me to be!"