In the lead up to Christmas I have been reading the recount of Jesus birth which is written in the gospels. I have read the story many times and this time Mary really captured my heart.

We first meet Mary when the angel Gabriel visits her with a message from God…

Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Grace to you, young woman, for you are anointed with great favor, and our Master is with you! ” ²⁹ Mary was shocked over the words of the angel and perplexed over what this may mean for her. ³⁰ But the angel reassured her saying, “Don’t yield to your fear, Mary, for the Lord has found delight in you and has chosen to surprise you with a wonderful gift. ³¹ You will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name Him, ‘Jesus’! ³² He will be Supreme and will be known as the Son of the Highest! And the Lord God will enthrone Him as King on His ancestor David’s throne. ³³ He will reign as King of Israel forever and His reign will have no limit!” ³⁴ Mary said, “But how could this happen? I am still a virgin!” ³⁵ Gabriel answered, “The Spirit of Holiness will fall upon you and the Almighty God will spread His shadow of power over you in a cloud of glory! This is why the child born to you will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God! ³⁶ What’s more, your aged aunt, Elizabeth, has also became pregnant with a son. The ‘barren one’ is now in her sixth month! ³⁷ No promise from God is empty of power, for with God there is no such thing as impossibility!” ³⁸ Then Mary responded, saying, “This is amazing! I will be a mother for the Lord! As His servant, I accept whatever He has for me! May everything you have told me come to pass.” And the angel left her. Luke 1:28-38 TPT

What Mary has just been told is wild and totally out of the box. I would imagine that people would have thought that what she was told by Gabriel was totally crazy, but yet I love her response. Mary responds with “As His servant I accept whatever He has for me”. In that moment Mary laid everything down, all her fears, anxieties, worries and what ifs were laid down and instead she picked up her calling handed to her by God.

And because she let go of her fears and laid everything down at the Lords feet, Mary was able to pick up great faith, favor, blessings, joy and to be a part of a great miracle of God. She was a woman with great faith and great courage.

Mary teaches us that we need to put things down and let go of things in order to pick up what the Lord has for us. What is it that you are holding on to that may be standing in the way of you stepping in to your destiny?

Gabriel said to Mary “Don’t yield to your fear, Mary” . Do not hold tightly to fear when the Lord is offering you His strength. Why would we not just hand over our fears to God and listen to His voice guiding us, encouraging us and strengthening us. What we receive from the Lord is far greater than anything we were holding on to in the first place.

Like Mary, we need to trust God and believe that everything God says will come to pass. Let go and let God guide you. Just imagine what the year ahead could look like if we let go and fully trusted in God.

2017 is the year of letting go. Lord, I am your servant and I accept whatever You have for me and may everything You promise to me come to pass. Amen