Just over 2000 years ago a miracle, that would change world history, occurred when a young, unmarried Jewish woman—a virgin—supernaturally conceived and gave birth to a Son whom she named “Jesus” in obedience to the word delivered to her by the angel Gabriel. This first Christmas miracle set in motion all the ensuing miracles that occurred in the life and ministry of Jesus, the miracle of His resurrection, the miracle of His ascension, the miracle of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and all the miracles of God that have occurred down to the present time. In this essay I have identified 5 important lessons from Mary’s encounter with the angel (Luke 1:26-38) that are crucial for us as we believe God for miracles in our lives today.
(1) This miracle was initiated by God.
Mary was not straining in faith, prayer and spiritual warfare trying to produce this miracle. This was a God-thing. There is no question that she had positioned herself for this miracle by a life of purity before God; but there was no initiative on her part for this specific miracle. Mary merely responded in faith to God’s initiative.
The emphasis today seems to be on human initiative, i.e., what we can do to generate miracles. One only has to look at the “how to” books that crowd the shelves of any Christian bookstore—“5 Steps to This” or “3 Keys to That.” In the midst of this preoccupation with ourselves, and what we can do, it is all too easy to forget that God Himself has thoughts and plans and that He acts according to His own sovereign will.
The wise thing for us, therefore, is to seek with all our hearts to know and understand His thoughts, His plans and His will. Let’s not be so quick to make our plans and then “storm heaven” asking God to bless our plans. Instead, let’s get His plan and cooperate with His plan, for His plan is already blessed. Mary cooperated with His plan in the making of this miracle.
(2) This miracle was beyond Mary’s ability to comprehend.
How can this be, since I do not know a man, was Mary’s response to Gabriel’s announcement. Her point was that, as a single woman committed to a life of purity and godliness, there was no way this could happen. God’s promise (vision) for our lives will always far exceed our understanding and our own ability to comprehend and fulfill. God’s revealed promise and plan will cause us to also ask, “How can this be?”
I remember feeling very inadequate in regards to an “impossible” assignment from the Lord and I said to Him, “I don’t feel that I can do this.” The answer came back loud and clear, “If you could do it, you wouldn’t need Me.” I suddenly realized that God would not be asking me to do things with which I would feel comfortable in my flesh, i.e., in the natural. I realized that He would be asking me to do things that would stretch my faith and require me to lean totally on Him.
(3) This miracle would come forth through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will over shadow you, was Gabriel’s answer to Mary’s question, “How can this be?” As to how a small, insignificant group of disciples could take the gospel to all the world, Jesus said in Acts 1:8, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. This is also the answer for all our impossibilities. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. We must, therefore, develop a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and yield our lives totally to Him. He has the power to turn all our impossibilities into possibilities.
When Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, He sent the Holy Spirit to take His place with His disciples in the world. He had promised them in John 14:18, I will not leave you comfortless, i.e., “like orphans.” The Holy Spirit is here to be everything to you and me that Jesus would be if He were here in His physical body. I can’t tell you how many times, in my own life, the Holy Spirit has provided the answer for impossible situations I have faced. He will do the same for you.
(4) The promise was like a seed with the potential power of fulfillment already inherent in that promise.
To the promise he is delivering from God, Gabriel adds the words, For with God nothing shall be impossible (NKJV). The Greek text literally reads, No rhema from God is void of power. A rhema is a particular word or promise for a specific situation. When God gives a promise, the power of fulfillment is inherent in that promise. In Scripture, God’s word is often compared with seed because a seed has within itself the potential power to produce the desired end results. For example, to have a harvest of corn you do not have to know all the science of how a seed of corn germinates and grows into a mature stalk bearing multiple ears of corn. You simply have to put the seed in the ground and look after it because the seed has the power within itself to produce the end results. The same is true of every rhema or word from God. It has within itself the power to produce the desired end results. Our part is to allow the seed to be planted in our hearts and then guard or steward that promise until we see it mature and bring forth the promised fruit or fulfillment (Luke 8:15).
(5) Mary’s faith response sealed the deal.
Let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38), was Mary’s response to Gabriel’s final explanation concerning how the miracle would happen. She is saying, in effect, I recognize that it is naturally impossible but, nonetheless, Let it be to me according to your word. This was the faith response for which Gabriel was looking and with it, he departed. Mary then departed to visit her cousin Elizabeth who, upon seeing her, exclaimed by the Spirit, Blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment of those things that were told her from the Lord. Mary’s response is the sort of faith response we too must give to the promises of God. Let it be to me according to your word.
This reminds me of Luke 5:5 where Jesus, after using Peter’s boat from which to teach, instructed Peter to launch out in the deep and let down his nets for a catch. Peter responded that he had just fished all night without catching a single fish, Nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net. Peter acted on the word of Jesus and caught so many fish that his nets began to break and his boats began to sink from the weight of the fish.
Concluding Thought
In the miracle of the catch of fish, Peter was so astounded that when he came to shore he fell at the feet of Jesus and acknowledged His Lordship. I truly believe that the principles above will help us move into a place where the miracles in our lives will be so far beyond our own faith and abilities that we too will be astounded and in awe of what God does. This happened to Mary. It happened to Peter and has happened to countless others since that time, and it can happen to you and me.
This message should make the faith of any deflated soul soar! In response to the wisdom from the Word in it, God gave me a revelation of how Jesus' compassion for the multitudes in the desert seemed to unlock His Father's provision for their hungry bodies - along with their spirits. You can almost see His faith in His Father fully expecting the fish and bread to keep going. The fruit of Eddie's message also allowed my heart to hear God say with a great warm tug, "Why don't YOU fast and pray for Eddie and Sue, especially for the Christian Women's Hall of Fame to go through and ask others to join you?" [meaning the charitable status application] Like the message says, "If for Mary and the others, what's to say, why not YOU too"?
ReplyDelete