FYI: I’m blown away and thankful for the obedience of Mary- the Mother of Jesus. Young, engaged, highly favored by God, and she was still given an opportunity to choose to obey the Lord by doing what He asked of her: to carry, give birth to, and raise The Son of God.

Check out this part of her story: 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.” 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”And then the angel left her.(Luke 1:26-38 NLT)

Mary began the scene feeling unsure and disturbed by the angel Gabriel’s appearance to her but she didn’t stay in that mindset. She thoughtfully considered all that the angel had told her, and willingly accepted the role, and said yes to Lord with no delay.

That’s a challenging phrase to say aloud: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”(v.38)

In essence, Mary said, “Ok, whatever this adventure entails – count me in.” By doing so, she became the vessel through which Jesus The Messiah was brought into this world. And He came to seek and save that which was lost, including you and me.

I think many times in our lives we might be presented with an opportunity to serve others or give of ourselves and we end up staying in the initial shock that Mary herself experienced. We might even feel shaken to our core or scared to death of going on the adventures God gives us on our journey of faith. The idea of adventure is appealing but the work, the labor, the pain of it, frightens us away. I was catching up with some friends recently and shared this idea with them too.

When did we loose our sense of adventure?

I think a better question is: When did we stop trusting God?

Now, Mary had no clue the entirety of what God was asking of her. But her heart was so yielded to Him and His plans that her response was “yes” to what had been said to her and about her.

Friend, I don’t know what kind of adventures or season you find yourself in today. I can’t see all the questions about your future that are racing around in your head and possibly overwhelming your heart. But I do know this: we can trust God.

We can place every question and obstacle in His very capable hands and allow Him to give us wisdom and strength for the journey ahead. We can carefully consider all that God may be speaking to our hearts as we run to Him in prayer. We can demonstrate faith in action to those around us (especially to our kids!) by choosing His plans and not our own today, knowing He will be our source and hope as we move toward whatever He is asking of us. Be it a very simple task or an overwhelmingly large request, we can choose to trust Him. We can walk firmly in obedience because of Him.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

I love how this Proverb commands us to trust. It doesn’t say “Try to trust God”, it begins by saying, “Trust”. God knew our human nature would feel like its impossible or daunting, but this verse speaks to our Spirit, encouraging us to trust God. He is God- he can see right now and 10 years from now. He knows what the journey will require of us and He promised to be with us the whole way. That’s the best company we could ever ask for! He will make our paths straight friend- even if they seem crooked or invisible right now. When we seek Him and place all of our trust in Him, He will make the way clear and straight. The path marked out ahead will not be filled with easy days, but it will be filled with the presence of The Lord and His peace to rest on us as we yield ourselves to Him and say, “Ok Lord, count me in.”

Let’s pray friend: Dear Heavenly Father, I choose today to trust you. I choose to say “Yes” to Your plans for my life. Whatever the task or opportunity that comes my way today, help my heart to be yielded to You. I trust that You will be my strength and You will be with me. I don’t have to be scared or overwhelmed by the adventures You want to take me on. Lord, help my thoughts to line up with the truth of Your Word and help my mind not to be derailed by fear of the unknown. You know and see all things Lord. Help me to make Your love and hope known as I follow Your leading. Thank you for the examples of obedience and faith in action throughout Your Word that inspire and challenge me. God, I place all my gifts and resources in Your mighty hands and remind myself that I am Your servant. Count me in Lord,on whatever Your plans for me. Amen.

Go the extra mile: Check out the new song from Plumb entitled, “God Help Me”! Seriously folks, it sums up the post today!