Luke 1:46 And Mary said (after learning she would bear a son),
“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.”

As you would expect of a teenaged girl, Mary was perplexed when an angel of the Lord told her she would bear a child despite her having never been with a man. However, though perplexed, she never expressed doubt that it was possible.

This is in contrast to several women in the biblical narrative who scoffed at the notion of giving birth after having been childless. Sara, Abraham’s wife, comes to mind as does Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, who gave birth to John the Baptist. Reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matthew.

Matthew 18:3 “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I love Mary’s simple faith that immediately receives the good news – even though it will make her life complicated in the short-term. Lord, give me the simple but powerful faith of Mary. Amen.