It's either odd or trite depending on your perspective, but the heat of summer gets me thinking of the dead of winter. July stirs thoughts of Christmas. Not cookies and cocoa, but levels of obedience. That might be where it gets really odd.
Nestled in the heartwarming story of Christmas are many beautiful stories of obedience. One of the most stunning is that of a teenage girl, an unplanned pregnancy, and the bold faith to walk it through. Here is Mary's response to Gabriel's announcement, as documented in Luke 1:49-53:
"For he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty."
When Gabriel shares the news of the Holy Spirit’s monumental intervention in Mary's life, she doesn’t just nod in amazement, or mutter some kind of Hebrew ok. She emphatically thanks God for the opportunity He has given her. That is, the opportunity to face the questions that accompany pregnancy before marriage. The opportunity to explain she received her information from an angelic messenger. The opportunity to carry a child who will be whispered about and wondered about, one who will inspire discussions about her personal morality. Mary doesn't simply agree and keep going. She praises God for the opportunity to serve this way, exalting Him for who He is and the mighty wonders of His hand. One of those wonders will grow in her womb. This obedience shows Mary’s faith that God is good and His plan, albeit mysterious, is good. Good for her and for mankind.
Grudging obedience, characterized by obedience with a low mutter of bitterness on the side, is not obedience at all. It's martyrdom, a self-focused game we play in which we try to trick God and others into thinking we believe God is good all the time when we don’t. God is not mocked, so it's a fool’s game (Galatians 6:7). Instinctively we know when we open our heart to the tough things, the really hard calls, we're not operating in our flesh. Something else is going on in us. We're walking in the Spirit.
The story of Mary's obedience reminds me of the story of another Mary–Mary Slessor. Mary served as a missionary in Nigeria, boldly fighting against the powers of darkness all around her. Human sacrifice, infanticide, and the belief that twins were demon possessed confronted Mary in the Nigerian city of Calabar. Undaunted by fear, Mary comforted the weak, adopted many abandoned children, shared the truth of the Gospel, and founded an orphanage. She even served as a judge in this remote missionary outpost.
One of the stories of Mary’s remarkable life is about how, at a missionary meeting, she met Charles Morrison. Charles was younger than Mary and served as a mission teacher in Duke Town, Africa. Charles and Mary developed a deep friendship, and soon he asked Mary to be his wife. Mary accepted his proposal with one important caveat. She believed God would make His will for her known through the authority of the mission organization that had sent them both to Africa. The couple asked the organization for permission to marry. That permission was denied. There would be no wedding. Neither of the two missionaries would ever wed. Mary embraced God’s will in that hard place much like her namesake had. She said, “What the Lord ordains is right.”
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Situations often leave us broken and lacking understanding on this horizontal human plane. I spoke to a counselee recently who lost her mother when she was 17 years old, and now, 12 years later, a baby to a late-term miscarriage. The cutting edge of suffering still shines in her wounds. We talked only about God's presence that day, and His promise to be close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). It was a raw conversation, and a hard one. Yet, I know this woman and the depth of her faith. She represents another Mary. As she moves through this heartbreaking season, despite her pain, she'll depend on her Savior in this struggle. She'll prove a faithful witness to His power. Others will be drawn to her Jesus by the way she walks with Him here. Brokenness carries its own beauty.
Marys remind us God knows our heart and longs for us to trust Him past every fear, disappointment, and sorrow. He’s working in ways we cannot imagine, as the witness of these Marys and Ephesians 3:20 attests. That’s a good word in every season.
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