How Shall This Be?

It is the most critical question in history how shall this
be? The question was asked and the
answer settled everything. Of all the
gifts we get every year we get the answer to this question. We do have a Savior and we will live
forever. This question is our answer.

Luke 1:30-38 And the
angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 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: And he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, how shall this
be, seeing I know not a man? And the
angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath
also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who
was called barren. For with God nothing shall
be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the
handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel
departed from her.

In Nazareth the angel Gabriel
came to a young girl six months after appearing to Zacharias in Jerusalem. This girl was probably in her late teens. She
was afraid. She was told she would conceive a son and that he would be great; she
was to name him Jesus. All the promises
of God would come to pass through the birth of this son. While the question of
Zacharias implied doubt, Mary simply asked how shall this be? Zacharias asked for a sign, which ended up with him being unable to speak until his baby was born. This is a reminder to
us we need to be careful what we ask of God.

Remember we need no evidence.
God s word, his promise, is enough.
Mary didn t ask for a sign. Let s look at what she didn t ask.

She simply asked how shall, not how can? Remember there isn't a cannot with God. Even
though afraid she did not doubt. We must offer thanks for her faith. There is the attitude today that expresses no
need for anything. Christmas has gotten
so off base with commercialism. That is
not what it s about. Mary didn t ask
why should this be? If life has taught
me anything it has taught me of my need. It was time for Jesus to come whether
people wanted or if they felt their need.

Mary knew why there was a need.

Mary didn t do as Jonah did. In effect by his fleeing to
Tarshish, he was asking why me? Our
prayer so often is why me? Help
so-and-so do this and see what he needs to do, but when we re asked to do it we
look at the Lord and say why me? Poor
old pitiful me. Why me? That s why Jesus came FOR ME! Mary didn t ask this. She didn t tell God to
go to someone else. We so often want God to do something for us. He always
knows the big picture we don t. When he asks something of us, we look up and
ask why me? She opened her heart, not
out of doubt or self-pity. She asked a
simple question that needed to be answered.

How shall?

Mary was a virgin.
She valued her virtue as well as Joseph s. She knew that having a baby involved
their morality. Oh that today the world
would have this kind of morality. Mary
knew that conception would break the standard.
So she asked how shall this be?

God knew their standard. Gabriel
tenderly answered for he saw her cautiousness.
She thought of herself and Joseph.
She knew the Messiah was to come. She remembered the words of Isaiah
that a virgin would conceive and bare a son.
She didn t let that truth be smothered. Give thought to what Christmas
really means. It showed Mary s willingness and readiness. All she wanted to know was how?

She was in effect saying what do I do to the used of
God? She was willing to take the
reproach and criticism. She was willing
to lose Joseph; he might break the engagement. She knew he was a just man what
would he do upon hearing her story. In
light of all the risk she still wanted to do what God asked. She was willing to yield the most private
part of herself. She would become a
mother. The child would be God but part
of herself as well. She would be responsible for him. No wonder Jesus looked down from the cross
and told John to take care of her, his mother.

Gabriel told her that the presence of God would overshadow
her and at that time she would conceive.
God s only son would become her son. Gabriel's answer to her question was with God nothing shall be impossible. She simply said behold the handmaid of the
Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
She was telling God she was his servant.

I m yours. Do what you want.

If there is anything we should do it is give ourselves in
that manner this Christmas. We should
say to God, I am yours. Be as Mary
was. Have faith and give yourself wholly
to the Lord.