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Mary's Rhema Word



Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
Luke 1:38

 Mary did not hesitate to accept the *rhema word of the Lord when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. The news of the miracle which would take place in her womb was undoubtedly strange to her ears:

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. 
Luke 1:31-32 

 She could have doubted that it would come to pass as the angel said or she could have presented the case from her point of view:

 I'm not married! What will Joseph think? It's going to be a scandal! I could be stoned to death!

 Instead, Mary received the rhema word by faith and humility. Gabriel tells her she is 'highly favoured' and when we consider how mortals can please God, we find the answer in Hebrews 11:6: 

 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 Mary is 'blessed among women' because of her tenacious faith! I believe this is why God chose her to bear the Messiah. She knows her God and is known by Him. People of great faith are also characterized by humility of spirit because they are not trusting in their own abilities or strengths and this is evident in Mary's response.

 Author Holley Gerth summed it up in a beautiful sentence: 

 God entrusted His most precious Gift to a girl who had enough faith to simply say, "Yes."

 What would your answer have been? And mine? When the Lord asks something of me, do I respond with the words of Mary, "Be it unto me according to Thy word."?  Do I say a simple, "Yes!" and have the faith to trust God in the outworking of His plan?

 Gabriel assured Mary: 

 For with God nothing shall be impossible. (verse 37)

 The word 'nothing' is literally 'no word (rhema)' and could be translated: "No word (rhema) from God will be void of power" or "Every word (rhema) from God contains the power for its own fulfillment." (translation by Derek Prince from "Faith To Live By"). 

 Let us learn from this lowly maidservant of the Lord to be available and say, "Yes!" to God's purpose and plan for our lives on this earth. Glory to God! 
*'rhema' translated as 'word' in English, meaning 'an utterance' as opposed to 'logos' also translated 'word', meaning the unchanging Word of God/Scriptures. 
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