Mary submitted to the will of God
We read in Luke 1:38, Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! May it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (EMTV)
The characteristic of Mary that makes her so unique and special, was the fact that though she could not fully comprehend the plan of God for her life, she had a heart that willingly submitted to God’s will. Mary was a young virgin who was engaged to be married to Joseph, and as she awaited her wedding day she must have been filled with so much of expectations. She must have therefore been bewildered when the angel of the Lord visited her, and conveyed the news to her, that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and that she would be with child, even before she got to know her husband. Though this news must have shocked her initially, throwing her mind into much confusion, Mary willingly submitted to the will of God, and affirmed that everything be done in her life according to the word that was spoken by the angel of the Lord.
All of us go through varying circumstances in our lives, and we too like Mary have the choice to either do our own will, or to submit to the will of God. There may be those things that we desire to do, and find that what God wishes for us may be totally contradictory to our thinking and plans. There are many who prefer to do what seems best to them, only because being submissive to the will of God is not so agreeable to them.
Teach us to do your will
We read in Psalms 143:10, Teach me to do your will, because you are my God. May your good Spirit lead me on level ground. (GW)
Here’s a beautiful prayer by David where he desired that he be taught to do the will of God, because He has made God the Lord of his life. The Psalmist prayed this prayer because he understood that the Spirit of the Lord alone could lead him on the right path.
We often profess that God is the Lord of our lives, worship Him and magnify Him, but are hesitant to live in obedience to His will for our lives. There are many who want to be the lord of their own lives choosing to do what pleases them. The past and the present are known to us, but it is only the Lord who can help us take the right steps in to the unknown future. We must come to that place of total surrender, where the will of God, and not ours, will become top priority in our lives.
Joseph submitted to the will of God
We read in Matthew 1:18, This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David's family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God's Holy Spirit. (CEV)
Also we read in Matthew 1:19, Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding. (CEV)
Here we find that Joseph was also in a dilemma regards his marriage to Mary. As he was preparing for his marriage, we realize that he too had great expectations for the same. Before the angel of the Lord could convey the message to Joseph, he was already informed that Mary, whom he was engaged to, was already with child. When Joseph heard it he was so perplexed that he decided to set her aside. Joseph of his own will, being a good man did not want to disgrace Mary, but rather resolved to quietly call off the wedding. However, when the angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, and informed him that the child that was conceived in Mary was of the Holy Spirit, he immediately laid-off his will, and submitted to the will of God. For the Lord Jesus to be born into this world in human form, God needed to find that Mary and Joseph, who would willingly submit to the will of God no matter what.
If as men and women we could put ourselves in Mary or Joseph’s shoes for a moment, we would be able to comprehend the depth of the situation that they found themselves in. If the Lord Jesus has to be born as Lord and king into the hearts of people around us, the Lord is seeking for those of us who like Mary and Joseph, will completely surrender to the will of the Father in heaven.
We read in Matthew 1:24, After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord's angel had told him to do. (CEV)
When Joseph woke out of his slumber, he made up his mind to do the will of God, setting aside his own inhibitions, and married Mary, taking her to be his wife.
For those who are at cross roads to make important decisions, we are reminded that the Lord will not coerce us to do His will, but rather it is up to us to decide to voluntarily accede to His will for our lives. We must tune our ears like David did to both hear the voice of God, and apprehend the will of God for our lives. We must be willing to do the will of God, even if it disturbs and disorganizes our plans and agendas.
The Psalmist says in Psalms 58:4-5 ... they are like cobras that refuse to listen and in ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play. (NLT)
The Psalmist talks about cobras that will not submit to the snake charmers no matter how skillfully they play. There are many who hear, but are unwilling to be submissive to the voice of God. There are many children who rebel against advice of their parents, or elders and have thereby made wrong choices, and gone against the will of God for their lives.
We read in Psalms 32:8, The LORD says, "I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you. (GNB)
Also in Psalms 32:9, Don't be stubborn like a horse or mule. They need a bit and bridle in their mouth to restrain them, or they will not come near you." (GW)
The word of the Lord assures us in Psalms 32:8 that He is willing to teach us, and instruct us in the way we should go, and will counsel us or advise us. But it is our duty to be obedient to the teaching, instructions and advice of the Lord. We are warned to not be obstinate like a horse or a mule, which need a bit and bridle to restrain them.
The Lord desires that we be in that blessed place where He will be our counsellor and guide. However, if instead we behave adamant like a horse or a mule, and insist on having our own way, we will have to face the consequences of the same.
Both Mary and Joseph had the choice to either submit to the will of God or rebel, but it was only in their submission that Jesus was born into this world to save all mankind. Mary was that virgin whom God waited for, who would be in complete surrender to the will of God so that at the right time, the Son of God could come into the world as the Son of Man. They were willing to ignore the opinions of men, and abdicated themselves completely to the will of God.
Many people today are more concerned about the opinions of men over that of God, and end up making wrong decision. Like Mary and Joseph, we must come to that point where we are willing to do the will of God, irrespective of whether it suits us or not, if it pleases us or not, if it appeases others or not. Our ears and hearts must be tuned to perceive, and obey the voice of God, and to do the will of God no matter what.
Saul submitted to the will of the Lord
We read in Acts 9:6, And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (KJV)
Saul was fervently doing what he thought, and believed was right in his eyes. But, there was a turning point in Saul’s life when he encountered the risen Lord Jesus on the way to Damascus. He came to that point of complete surrender, where he with trembling enquired of the Lord as to what He would have him do with his life. The Lord commanded Saul to rise and go into the city so that he will be told what he would be required to do. Saul became Paul, and his life was amazingly transformed that the one who destroyed the church, became the one who built the same in ways no one could imagine.
Every day we encounter various situations where we are required to make several decisions, and it is imperative that we pray to seek the Lord, and His will for every one of those decisions to be the right ones. If like Saul we acknowledge Jesus to be the Lord (ruler) of our lives, He will reveal His will to us through His word, or through His messengers. God will most certainly speak to us, and make His will very plain to us. There are so many who are anxious to know what their future holds. They seek astrologers and palmistry to figure out what is in store for them. To such the Lord gives counsel, that He instead is willing to instruct and counsel us. As we submit to God’s will one step at a time, He will unfold His beautiful plans for the future. If like Saul we submit to the Lord, He will use us to be a great blessing just like Saul. If we do not obey God in the little things, we will find it almost impossible to hear His voice guide us in the big decisions of life.
Joseph goes to Egypt in obedience to God’s word
We read in Matthew 2:13-14, After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave." Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, (GNB)
Joseph and Mary knew that the baby Jesus was indeed the Son of God. They had the blessed visit of the Magi who sought after the little boy Jesus to worship Him, and offer their gifts. However when the angel of the Lord instructed Joseph to move to Egypt, instead of seeking protection right where they were, he implicitly obeyed and left to Egypt that very night. By their willingness to obey the Lord granted to them blessings and safety.
Abraham is another great example of one who willingly submitted to the will of God, even to the point of sacrificing his only son Isaac on the altar. By so doing he received his son back, and was attested by God as a man of faith and righteousness.
Here’s a question we should ponder on. ‘When was the last time we heard the voice of God?’ If we are unable to recall, we need to get back to that place of prayer and surrender, where we tune our ears to hear the voice of God, and tune our hearts to obey the will of God, no matter how hard it may seem. The Lord will instruct us, and teach us in the way we should go, so that our lives are blessed and a blessing to others. May we allow the Lord to truly be the Lord of our lives, the one who rules over us, and the one whose will is foremost in our day to day lives and decisions.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
