May It Be......As YOU Have Said

Hi Everyone,

I've been thinking more about the whole issue of surrender.....because right now I am grieving and dealing with surrendering a huge personal issue to the Lord in my own life.

When I think of surrender, I think of several people in the Bible. Although it isn't Christmas yet, I's like to share some thoughts about Mary-the mother of Jesus.

This is not meant to "exalt or worship her" in any way, but I was just thinking about the surrender that it would take to realize you are carrying a child by the Holy Spirit and still a virgin.

Obviously there is only one person who ever did this--her.

Luke 1:26-38 "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Mary being found pregnant during the betrothal period in Jewish history was no small thing. For a woman to be found pregnant before the actual marriage was consamated was unacceptable.

when mary said "I am the Lord's servant, May it Be to me as you have said" It really was an act of surrender.

Surrender where her marriage to Joseph could have been ended.

Surrender where people may have thought untrue things about her regarding her reputation.

Surrender of----Would her family believe her?

And yet she was willing to obey the Lord and said "May it be to me as you have said." She was a servant of the Lord.

Thankfully, the Lord definitely took care of the above mentioned details...and many others!

But when you and I face situations that are challenging or when God is calling us to surrender to Him, are we willing to surrender to God's plan for us and other things even when it doesn't "turn out" like we want?

Can we say, like Mary, "Lord, May my life be according to Your plan and NOT my own? I am Your servant."

Obviously our situations don't quite compare to hers in the "exactness" of it, but you get the idea.