Luke 1:26-38 — Thanks, But Why Me?

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
—Luke 1:26-38 NASB

Why do God's visitations unnerve us? Because He never comes to us without asking something of us. We never know what He will ask of us, but we know that we will be overwhelmed by our feelings of inadequacy. When God came to Moses, Moses said, Ask Aaron! When He came to Gideon, Gideon suggested, Let's put out the fleece. When God asks us for anything, we are prone to say, God this is a great honor, but would You mind honoring someone else? So God came to Mary of Nazareth. And of course, God was the last person she expected.

As in this passage, God generally promises us His steadfast presence before He asks of us some task that we feel is beyond us. Also, God assures us to not be afraid just before He tells something terrifying. For though He calls us to do something significant, we generally feel we cannot do it.

God's promise of grace in this passage is of special note. Mary, above all the women of Nazareth, had been singled out by God. But surely it disturbed her to be chosen out of all other possible women.

But there is no answer to this issue of grace. God said that Mary was chosen. End of discussion.

And so we should remember when God comes to us: A God big enough to make us afraid is powerful enough to accomplish all He is about to ask of us.

Say this prayer:

Father, I don't know why You chose me, but I thank You for Your grace. And I thank You for being with me as I do Your will. As You and I go together, please give me the strength and dedication I need to accomplish your will. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.


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