John GrandyMary’s Scandalous Surrender
After an angel appeared to Mary telling her she would become pregnant and give birth to the Savior of the world, this was her response, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38).
In that moment, the rest of Mary’s life flashed before her eyes. Without any preparation, she was pregnant. Her life was changed forever. She was the laughing stock of the city. She was afraid Joseph would call up Cheaters and feature her scandalous story on prime time television. She went from teenager to preggo in an instant. She didn’t just have the pressure of raising a son, she had the pressure of raising the Son of God. Imagine teaching God how to walk and talk! With all this on her mind, she surrendered to God’s will and remembered who she was…the Lord’s servant. She chose the adventure of God’s path instead of insisting on her own.
I’ve passed over this verse too many times without thinking about it. Mary’s response is so humble that we miss the power of it if we don’t stop and think. Contrast her life and her response with how we most often live our lives.
We think God is our servant. He’s our genie in a bottle. We can ask him for whatever we want and we expect him to come through for us in an instant. If He doesn’t seem to be coming through, we get ticked off and turn a cold shoulder.
We insist on our own way. Like a kid throwing a temper tantrom, we won’t stop whining until we get what we want. We insist on logical explanations for logical life plans. We go after careers that will make us the most money. We like to have everything planned out and prepared.
But what if God broke into your life like He broke into Mary’s? What if He conceived an idea or a dream in you that was divine and holy…a God idea that didn’t make logical sense? What if the Holy Spirit came upon you and the power of the Most High overshadowed you? Would you respond like Mary did?
“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” This is the heartbeat of Mary’s scandalous surrender. Is it yours?