*Day 19 - Mary*

Today’s story is about Jesus’ mother, Mary.

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. –Luke 1:26-27

Yesterday we talked about Zechariah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth had a cousin named Mary. One day, the angel Gabriel went to Nazareth and appeared to Mary. Gabriel was the same angel who had also appeared to Zechariah. Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of David. Remember, David killed Goliath and went on to become a great king. 

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. --Luke 1:28-38

The angel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was also expecting a miracle baby. Elizabeth’s baby was a miracle because she had been barren for so long. Then Gabriel told Mary something that we all need to remember, “nothing is impossible with God.” God makes the impossible possible. Most people would have rejected the idea, but Mary seems to have accepted the idea of her immaculate conception with a lot of grace. Although she was initially scared, the Bible makes no mention of her ever doubting.

We can learn a lot from the way Mary gladly accepted God’s plan. So many times we don’t trust in God’s plan and we try to run away from it. We think of all the obstacles that could present themselves. We think about all the hurdles we’ll have to jump and the mountains we’ll have to climb, but NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!

Today, think about the miracle that would occur in Mary's life. Nothing like this had ever happened in history, so she had no way to prepare for what took place. God still works miracles. The miracle of Jesus' birth was only the beginning. Spend some time today thinking about miracles. What does that mean to you? Do you need a miracle? Although God doesn't promise everyone a miracle, we still must remember that nothing is impossible with God.

“Dear heavenly Father, thank you for working miracles every day. I know that nothing is impossible if I trust in you! Mary trusted that nothing is impossible with you. Today we pray for your will to be done in our lives: whether that is miraculously or ordinarily. Help us to remember the miracle of Jesus' birth during this time of year. Give us the same kind of faith Mary had. When we don't know what things will look like, give us the faith to always know, that you are a God who can do seemingly impossible things... NOTHING is impossible with you. In Jesus' name, Amen."