How We Should Respond to God’s Call
Like Gabriel telling Mary she would birth the Son of the Most High, God can call us to extraordinary things. It’s understandable to be overwhelmed or even fearful in those situations. How can we learn to respond to God’s call from Mary’s example?
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26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed[a] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[b] 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?”[c]
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[d] 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[e] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary is Visited By Gabriel
Imagine what it was like to be Mary when Gabriel visited her. She was a young girl living in a small town and soon to be married. On what appears to be an ordinary day, she was likely going about her business when she was visited by an angel of the Lord, Gabriel. That alone could overwhelm anyone, but the surprises don’t stop there.
GABRIEL: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28
As expected, Mary was “greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.”
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High.’” Luke 1:30-32
We see a great example of Mary’s obedience and servanthood next. Although inquisitive, Mary’s response submits to Gabriel and says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
When God calls us to the seemingly impossible, It’s understandable to be overwhelmed and fearful. So what can we learn from Mary’s response of how we should respond to God’s call?
What is Mary’s Response and What Can We Learn From It?
1) She Was Honest
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34
God is not afraid of your questions. When something doesn’t make sense, it’s okay to ask Him. Just imagine Mary’s surprise at the information Gabriel revealed!
No trial or tribulation is unfamiliar to God. There are no questions or human unknowns that God doesn’t know of.
In Matthew 18:3, Jesus tells us to approach Him as little children. Children are excellent at asking questions. They’re learning about life, and every day is a new opportunity for discovery. So don’t be afraid to approach God as a child and ask questions.
2) She Was Humble
MARY: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;” Luke 1:38 (ESV)
There is no such thing as Christianity without humility. “I am your servant;” Can you respond to the Lord that way?
Humility is sensitivity and responsiveness to God with deference to others. It is not marked by saying something. Instead, it’s characterized by being sensitive to what God is saying and, in doing so, honoring other people better than yourself.
The Proverbs tells us that humility comes before honor. So Mary humbled herself before the Lord, and now she was honored as the birth vessel for the Son of God. Granted, that doesn’t mean that’s what’s going to happen to us; however, He does desire to birth new things in your life.
Matthew 13 tells Parable of the Sower, a story about a farmer planting seeds on differing richness of soils. Humility is the organic soil of the heart for God to work in. This parable is the picture of our hearts. When you have soft soil, you can yield 100-fold for God to move exponentially in your life.
As you commune with God and experience Him, the Holy Spirit will lead you into holy moments. That can manifest in infinite ways, but it could look like being a foster parent, praying for an unreached people group, or serving your city.
3) She Embraced Harmony With God
“Let it be to me according to your Word.” Luke 1:38c (ESV)
Mary does not push back on her messenger. She does not react with hostility or indifference. Instead, she embodies Isaiah 66:2: She is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at His word.
“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15
4) She Gave a Hallelujah
The word “hallelujah” is not found in this passage. However, Mary definitively gives a hallelujah. Mary breaks into a song of praise. She offers a sacrifice of praise, an act of worship, in light of God moving in her life.
“And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.’” Luke 1:46-49
The word Hallelujah is a Hebrew phrase. So when you say it, you are actually speaking Hebrew. Not only that, but it’s a whole sentence in Hebrew. It’s an imperative sentence, a command. So you are speaking a command when you say, “Hallelujah.”
The command they are to do is to /hallelu/ “you all praise.” Yah is a short form of the divine name Yahweh. The ancient Hebrew people spoke the name of God in this call to praise.
Combining the two words would be “PRAISE JAH (praise God).”
“Praise the LORD! (Hebrew transliteration = "halelû-yäh") How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.” Psalm 112:1
It appears in the Old Testament book of Psalms and the New Testament book of Revelation. Each expression means “PRAISE YE YAH (praise the Lord).”
This is incredibly important for Christians. The New Testament uses the word hallelujah also, but when it does, it is in specific reference to Jesus. For example, we see this word in Revelation 19:
“After this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.’” Revelation 19:1
“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.’” Revelation 19:6
Expressing your joy of praise by saying or singing the word “Hallelujah” is offering God your sacrifice of praising Jesus.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Hebrews 13:15
Therefore, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise and the fruit of our lips that openly profess His name. In light of delivering us from being children of wrath, He is worthy of our worship and affection because we are now children of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is worthy of our praise because He made us alive in Christ.
TL;DR
When God calls us to the seemingly impossible, It’s understandable to be overwhelmed and even fearful.
What can we learn from Mary’s response to Gabriel’s news?
She was honest
She was humble
She embraced harmony with God
She gave a hallelujah
Related Reading
The Gift of a Savior by Rev. Paul Lawler
How to Hear God’s Voice & Follow His Will by Rev. Paul Lawler
How Do We Approach God by Bro. Chris Carter
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services
