“Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true’.”

Luke 1:38a NLT


You want me to do what, Lord? The first time I heard the Lord call me away from my twenty-seven-year career to focus on ministry, I literally laughed. Surely, I heard him wrong. Surely, he didn’t mean me. After all, I was a hard-nosed, perfection driven, workaholic who had nothing to offer the Lord. And certainly, I was not qualified for ministry!



But God said something different as he continued to pursue me over the next few years. He began to heal me in ways I didn’t know I needed healing. He gave me a hunger for His Word and helped me hide it in my heart. He brought a gentler perspective to my Type A personality as he breathed new life into me. But most of all, He showed me how much He loved and cherished me through His provision, His protection, and His power. And soon, I dared to say yes, submitting to Him, and embracing the worthiness that He somehow saw in me to serve Him and others in a new and different way.

We so often underestimate our calling because of our own insecurities. Like Mary did when the angel first approached her, we question what God says about us. We confuse ourselves with impossibilities and disqualify ourselves because of lack of knowledge or experience. All of these doubts hold us back because we don’t trust that we are who God says we are, or that He will do what He says He will do. 

Yet, when God calls us to do something, He gives us all we need to do it. He will bless us with grace, courage, wisdom, insight, opportunity, and individual spiritual gifts to be used for the very purpose He puts before us.  

In Luke 1:38, Mary eagerly embraces the purpose God has given her. She then goes on to sing a song of praise, recognizing the gift she has received, and rejoicing in all the blessings that God is going to do through her.

Our God is a God of impossibles! And Mary reminds us that He can do great things through anyone who is willing and available, regardless of their walk in life. This brings us a hopeful and confident assurance that He can use all of us in unique and significant ways.



If you are holding back on something God has asked you to do, embrace that God knows what He is doing. Instead of belittling your own ability, dare to say yes, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you say about me come true” (Luke 1:38 NLT). Then expect the unexpected because God will do more than you can ever imagine. And before long, you will sing your own song of praise, because God loves you and entrusts you with your very own assignment; one that brings joy to your heart and glory to the One who empowers you.

#SaturdaySoulSearch