Ordinary Mary – Part 2

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30

Ordinary Mary, living her ordinary life, had an entirely ordinary reaction. She was afraid.

Ever notice how angels consistently have this effect? Before and after Mary, others have responded in much the same way to angelic announcements. Consider John the Baptist’s father Zacharias in Luke 1:11-13. “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him . . . and Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid.’ ” Then in Luke 2:9-10 we read the familiar tale of shepherds keeping watch over their sheep by night. “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid;’ ”

I’m guessing that toward the beginning of all angel education there’s required memorization of that line: “Do not be afraid.” Everyone they’re sent to deliver a message to reacts the same way. And, ordinary Mary fell right in line.

Here’s the exciting truth:  God was not caught off guard by Mary’s fear. He knew in advance that she would respond that way, but man’s fear does not negate God’s favor. The Heavenly Father didn’t change His mind about Mary when she got nervous. He didn’t pull the assignment and give it to someone else. Mary’s ordinary reaction did not disqualify her from serving her God.

Now that’s good news! It’s good news for ordinary me because I battle fear regularly. I’m daily surrendering worry and anxiety over little things much less God sized assignments like being an un-wed teen mother spouting a story about my baby having been conceived by the Holy Ghost!

Throughout Scripture we observe God calling and then empowering weak, timid, ordinary individuals to accomplish His plan and His purpose. Remember Joshua taking over for Moses? How many times in that first chapter of Joshua alone does God remind His new leader not to fear but to be strong and courageous? When God found Gideon and called him “Mighty Warrior,” Gideon was hiding from the enemy in a wine press.

Last post we discovered that God is a personal God. That He intentionally chooses to intimately interact from His lofty throne in the heavens with lowly, ordinary individuals like Mary . . . like you and me. Today we come to understand that not only is He personal, He is also patient. He works with raw material.

Chances are you’ve spent some seasons of your life believing that God could not possibly ever use you to accomplish great things for His glory because you just don’t have the chutzpah. Maybe you look at the lives of Bible heroes and assume that surely they possessed something special that you just don’t have . . . never have had . . .  never will have. That’s where you’re wrong. God chose Mary while she was ordinary. His favor is not something that can be earned. No, God’s favor is bestowed upon us undeserved because He is good not because we are good.

What adventures might the Almighty have planned for ordinary you in the days ahead? He is personal and He is patient and He has a plan for you. How ordinary are you willing to be? Will you offer your ordinary self to Him? Present your body to Him this Christmas as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2) and see what He will do with ordinary you!