The Power of How
- by: Adam Sheffield 12/16/09
There’s really no denying it, for most of us this time of the year is either about presents, Jesus’ birth, or a combination of the two. And that’s not a sin. The eleventh commandment is not “Thou shalt not give gifts.” The wise men who were seeking Jesus brought gifts to him. The only trap that lies in waiting for us when it comes to gifts is being caught up in the commercialism and consumerism that runs rampant up and down the store aisles and mall hallways this time of year like a greased pig unable to be scooped up but leaving its traces everywhere. So as long as we’re checking our attitudes and the heart behind the gifts we’re giving (and hoping to receive) we’re fine.
But this Christmas season, I want to focus on the attitude of someone else: Mary the mother of Jesus. Let’s look at the Gospel of Luke for our example of humility and willingness to give it all for God’s glory. In chapter one, the angle Gabriel visits the teenage virgin Mary to let her know that God favors her, and therefore is about to ruin her whole reputation and possibly get her killed. And even if no one kills her, she still runs the risk of losing her fiancé. Can you imagine what it would have been like to explain this situation to your friends and family? What if they didn’t believe you?
For you see, a pregnant unwed young lady in those times could be taken outside of the city and beaten with stones until she dies for the assumed sin of adultery. Fortunately God gives her a few details on the situation to reassure her by saying that yes, while she will be pregnant before being married, she should not fear! For God is with her, and the child she will give birth to will be called the Son of the Most High, God will seat him on an everlasting throne, and his kingdom will never end!
And this is where we get to the power of “How.” We read Mary’s response to this shocking news she’s just been given in verse 34: “‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’” I think it’s only fair that anyone in her situation would want to know how, although I do see humor in her telling God that she’s a virgin.
You’ve got to figure he already knew that, but how often do we tell God the obvious in our confusing situations and act like they’re an army of marauding Vikings that will surely destroy us should we try to pass them? “God I don’t have enough money for that,” or “God I’m not good at speaking out,” or “God I’m really tired, I’ll spend time with you tomorrow.”
Matthew chapter six tells us that God knows all of that already and he also knows what we need before we ask for it so there’s no point in worrying about the “How” of any given situation. We’re just called to trust and obey.
Judging by the fact that Mary didn’t give any excuses, I don’t think her question of “How will this happen?” is due to a lack of faith more than just an inquisitive wondering at the work of God. And God, being perfect in knowledge and limitless in power, has already prepared his angel with that answer, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of God will be over you.”
How many times do we know what we need to do for God but allow the “How?” to be too big of a task for us? In Luke 1:37 it says, “For nothing is impossible with God,” and sure enough time and time again we see the truth of that statement in the Bible. Time and time again God has proven that in our very own lives, yet we continue to be doubters and whiners and quitters as soon as we meet any kind of obstacle.
The best part about Mary, though, is here in verse 38. Once she receives the “How” she again has an opportunity to throw excuses into the air like confetti at a New Year’s Party. Instead she simply resolves herself to the destiny God has called her to. “‘I am the Lord's servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.”
She doesn’t try to get herself out of this. She doesn’t make a list of why she isn’t the right one for this task. She doesn’t concern herself with things to great for her to know. She accepts God’s calling and is willing to give of herself physically, emotionally, and mentally. She forgets her reputation, her way of life, her hopes and dreams, she doesn’t worry about what people will think or say, or even her own safety. She requests for God’s will to be done in her life.
How powerful is that and how powerful could God be in our lives if we would stop fighting him for control over our lives? God excels in the power of “How” because everything in the universe is under his control. The galaxies of the universe he created sit and spin where he places them and the protons and neutrons that revolve around the nucleus of every single one of the millions of atoms that compose our bodies do so according to the will of God.
The only thing in God’s created order that rebels against his will is us humans. Again in Matthew 6 we see the examples of the birds of the air that do what they were created to do—flying, singing, building nests—and everything in their world is right. We see the flowers of the field doing what they were created to do—growing up, sending roots down, and blossoming under the sun and rain God provides for them—and everything in their world is right. So what does this tell us about humans? If we would do what we were created to do—worship our King by accepting the call he has placed on our lives—everything in our world would be right. This doesn’t mean we’d face no hardship. It just means that God is more than enough for everything we could want or need in this life and the next.
We need to take the attitude Mary had and resolve ourselves to carry out the will of God that he has destined us for. This isn’t to say Mary didn’t have times she struggled to accept God’s will for her. I’m sure she did, as we all do. However, she started out asking God to make his will, her will, and to carry out his plans over her plans. That’s a tough prayer, but when left to the power of God, we don’t have to worry about how he accomplishes that, we just have to thank him for doing it.
