Use Me
I Wish I could have been there to see Mary’s face the day the angel came to her and announced that she would be giving birth to the Son of God.
Did she wonder if she was losing her mind? Did she think some mischievous neighborhood children were playing a trick on her?
Like many faithful Jews, Mary had been eagerly waiting for the long-promised Messiah.
But the angel’s announcement that her womb would be the channel the Son of God would use to come into the world must have been shocking.
The first question Mary had concerned logistics. “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel explained that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:34-35).
Though confusing, this answer was good enough for Mary. “I am the Lord’s servant,” she answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”
I bet angels wish more human beings were as cooperative as Mary. The Bible is full of stories of people who resisted the call of God in their lives.
Mary’s willingness to submit to God’s will shows why Christians throughout the ages have had a special respect for her.
The most famous disobedient Bible character is Jonah, who turned his back on God’s call and suffered the consequences.
But Jonah isn’t alone. Old Testament figures like Moses, David, and Solomon resisted God’s demands and saw their leadership ability severely hampered.
In the Gospels, the disciples repeatedly failed to live up to Jesus’ expectations. And in Acts chapter five a couple named Ananias and Sapphira tried to cheat the church.
The couple had pledged to share all their worldly wealth with the Christian church that arose in Jerusalem after the resurrection of Christ.
But after they received a windfall from a real estate deal they tried to hide their earnings from their fellow believers. Both Ananias and Sapphira “fell down and died” after their disobedience was revealed.
Mary’s case is an unusual one. It’s not every day that God wants a human being to give birth to his Son. But her attitude is an example for us all.
What might God want to do through you? And what will your response be when his angels come knocking at your door?
Maybe there’s a sad and lonely person in your town whom God would like to reach, but he wants to reach him through you. Maybe there’s a widow weeping over her loss, and God wants to comfort her through you.
Maybe there’s a local soup kitchen that needs another pair of hands to prepare warm meals for cold and hungry people.
Maybe there’s a Sunday school class that needs a teacher, or a nursery that needs another person to attend to toddlers.
You may never know all the fulfillment God has in store for you unless you open your heart as Mary did and submit to his higher purposes for your life.
God will not call on you to give birth to the Messiah, but you might just be the warm heart and tangible physical presence God needs to express his love to someone who could use it right now.
Your deeds may not be recorded in the Bible or read by millions of people for thousands of years. But God will know what you’ve done, and that will be more than enough.
God, use me for your purposes. Show me what you want me to do.