One day an angel visited Mary with incredible news. She was going to be the mother of the Messiah. She would bear the one whose coming was foretold throughout the Old Testament. What a privilege! But she is confused. She isn’t married. How can she bear a child? The angel tells her it will be through the Holy Spirit. It will be a miraculous, supernatural birth.
Mary’s life suddenly becomes very complicated. She was going to have a child outside of marriage in a culture that firmly held to God’s law? What would her fiance Joseph think? And while a great privilege to bear the Messiah – what an incredible responsibility to raise such a child.
But her response speaks volumes about the character of this young woman. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She is God’s servant. She will humbly do what God says. She gives us an incredible example of humble submission to God. She will submit to his word.
When we come to God’s Word, do we come with the attitude: “Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”? Do we approach the Word ready to humbly submit to his authority? To do whatever he commands? To believe whatever he says? To follow wherever he leads? No matter what? No matter how hard? No matter whether we like it or not? No matter what others think or say? Do we come to the Word, ready to humbly submit to God?
The answers to these questions will have serious ramifications for our lives. As we approach God’s Word today, this week, are we ready to humbly submit to his Word?
Brian J. Mikul 
As much as we like to think we do and as much as we actually try to do it, I still wonder at times how much I am sitll leaving on the table.
Indeed. I suspect many people might assume that of course we are submitting, but are we really?