Mission Impossible

How do you respond when God asks you to do something totally outside your comfort zone?  Do you run away like Jonah did when God asked him to go to Nineveh? Or maybe you’re like Peter, who, while attempting to walk on water, started to see all the potential problems and lost his faith that the Lord would provide.  Or do you have the “May it be” courage of Mary, mother of Jesus?   

What does it take to have her “May it be” courage?  Was Mary some kind of superstar teenager who possessed special abilities?  No.  By worldly standards, Mary was hardly the ideal candidate to be the mother of Jesus. She was an ordinary, young, unmarried girl with no experience in bearing or rearing a child.  We do know that she had a relationship with God (“O favored one, the Lord is with you!” [Luke 1:29 ESV]) and knew him as her Savior (“and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior.” [Luke 1:47 ESV]).  If we want to have “May it be” courage we must know the One who provides it.

When Gabriel told Mary about her mission, she didn’t run, she didn’t start thinking about what people would think, she didn’t worry about the gossip and the unkind things people would whisper as she passed.  She merely wondered how the process would work. Once Gabriel explained, Mary was quick to accept her mission.  “And Mary said, Behold I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38 ESV).  Are you quick to follow the Lord in humble obedience?  Because Mary had a relationship with God, knew his Word and the things he had done for His people (Luke 1:50,53,55 ESV), she could trust that God would take care of all the details.  She was willing and available to be His servant.  Are you?

A courageous faith is not always comfortable.  Jesus didn’t say if you want to follow me, pick up a feather.  He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross …” (Matthew 16:24 ESV).  A cross is not easy to carry, it’s heavy and burdensome.  If we are to have Mary’s “May it be” courage to carry our cross and answer "Yes!" when He calls us to do the impossible mission we must remember it’s not our skills God is after, but our love, devotion, a humble obedience, and a willingness to serve Him.  

Brenda Wooff