We read the story every year at Christmas time, but I wonder how it would have felt as a fourteen year-old girl to receive an impossible message from an angel in the middle of the night?
One conversation between God and Mary initiated God’s plan for salvation of the world.
One conversation changed everything.
But,
Why did God chose to speak to Mary?
How did Mary know the message was from God?
What did God’s word mean for Mary’s life?
1. Listen
Mary heard from God because her heart was positioned to listen. Her life was aligned to God’s purposes and she was ready to follow him wherever he led. They key to hearing from God is to actively listen, not just with our ears, but with our hearts.
2. Test
We are told to ‘test the spirits to see if they are from God’ (1 John 4:1). It’s an instruction we’re given for every message we receive and one that God himself facilitates. So in the same way God used Elizabeth to confirm his word to Mary, God will provide confirmation to us through the Body of Christ and in other creative ways (such as sending a card from the other side of the world!)
3. Act
When we hear from God, his words initiate change and transformation. It is not enough just to give them intellectual assent – we must live according to them. His words are a seed that we receive, nurture and live by. And just as God’s words did for Mary, they will produce a supernatural blessing for those around us!
Next Steps
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