Devotion:

Have you ever watched a show where a character with a humble background is surprised to discover that they’re someone important? Maybe it’s an orphan who finds out that she’s secretly a princess, or the guy who is always overlooked learns that he is the “chosen one.”

That’s kind of like where we are in God’s story. God had shown the Israelites all throughout his Word that he had a rescue plan; one he’d been pointing to since the beginning. We’ve spent the last 21 days seeing all the ways God had prepared the world for this moment since the beginning of his Story. He had been pointing to a Savior, a Rescuer, a Prince who would come to save us!

Suddenly, after hundreds of years of waiting, and out of all the people in the world, Mary found out that the Messiah was about to born … as her baby! It’s hard to even imagine the magnitude of what she felt.

This moment was huge. God was finally revealing the plan for so many things he had told us would happen: There would be an everlasting King and kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-16). A child would be given to us who would be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). God would give us a sign through a virgin birth, and the child would be called Immanuel, or “God With Us” (Isaiah 7:14).

Mary had one simple question: How? Even though Mary couldn’t fully understand God’s plan, she trusted that nothing was impossible with God. Mary chose to have faith—to trust in God, his Word, and his promises—and to be his servant for his glory and the good of the whole world.