Giving Thanks Daily: Day 940 of Giving Thanks

Participating In God's Miracles

Every time I read Luke 1:27-38, it takes my breath away.

"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." ~Luke 1:27-38 (New international Version)

Today, I wonder at the personal promises God's whispered to me. And (like Mary) question, how is this possible? I point out my insufficiency. And, yet, silently marvel at God's power.

How about you?

Has God invited you to participate in the miraculous? Do impossibilities heighten as you recognize your limitations? Do inadequacies overshadow His promise? If so, you are not alone. God calls us each to a crossroads of faith and reality. Will we trust in our abilities or His? Will we surrender, regardless of the cost?

On the day the angel spoke to Mary, I wonder if she fully realized the weight and burdens that would follow after her? Did she willingly concede, surrendering to God's call knowing the hardships she would endure? Did she envision the ridicule, judgment, sneers and contempt she'd encounter? Did she anticipate the rejection she'd experience from friends and family members? Did she say yes knowing that her community would cast accusing glances and ostracize her from fellowship?

It's hard to say what went through her mind, but her reply "May it be to me as you have said" stirs deeply within me.

Friend, God invites each one of us to surrender and concede to His purpose. He invites us to participate in the miraculous. He calls us to the place where we recognize it's not about our abilities but His. We question, how can this be? And graciously responds, "nothing is impossible with God."

But what does it mean to participate in God's miracles?

Participating in God's miracles means recognizing it's not about our abilities. Mary was a virgin. She couldn't birth life apart from God. And neither can we. It's not by might, nor by our power, but by His Spirit. (Ask Him to birth a miracle in your relationship, finances, ministry, family.)

Participating in God's miracles means saying yes. My prayer is that I will always respond as Mary did. "May it be to me as you have said." Mary didn't ask for her divine assignment, but she willingly embraced it. She recognized God was sovereign...and simply humbled herself to His design.

Finally, participating in God's miracles will cost us everything. Mary endured rejection. Her entire life, dreams, and plans were radically interrupted. And, I can only imagine the questions she faced, as Jesus hung on the cross.

Today, we may face impossibilites. If so, I pray (by His grace) we choose to participate in His miracles:
by recognizing it's not about our abilities, by saying yes to His plan and surrendering our life... NO MATTER the cost!