Blessed are Those Who Believe

"'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her." 
"'Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished'"
Luke 1:38&45


Mary was visited by an angel. The news he brought to her was too incredible to be believed. He told her that she would become pregnant with the Son of God and that the conception would not be by natural means, but by the Holy Spirit. It had never happened before, and it has not happened since. It was an unbelievable message. There was no earthly reason to even entertain the notion. Even though it was an angel delivering the words, it was ludicrous to believe such a thing could take place. But Mary did believe.
    We must remember that earlier, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist had been told by the angel Gabriel that his wife, Elizabeth would give birth to a son in her old age. She had been barren her whole life. Zechariah found it too difficult to believe. This message,though not nearly as strange as the one Mary received, was too much for him to believe. The angel told him that he would not be able to speak until the child was born, because of his unbelief. But Mary did believe.
    It was Elizabeth who told Mary that she was blessed because she believed what the Lord said to her, and she believed it would actually happen. There was something special about the faith of Mary. Not since the days of Abraham had such faith been exhibited. The end of the story was the beginning of a never ending one. Mary did give birth to the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit. His name was Jesus, the Savior of all mankind. I wonder what would have happened if Mary had not believed. Would God have chosen someone else? Would the birth of Jesus been delayed? Would it have happened at all? Thankfully, none of those questions need to be answered because Mary did believe.
    Sometimes God will promise us things that seem too amazing to believe. But we must learn to believe the things he speaks to us. How will we ever realize the dreams and future God has for us if we do not first believe. We cannot act on something unless we believe that it is possible. Let me remind us that, "With God, all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26). Just as Elizabeth said to Mary, blessing follows those who believe. The things God wants to give us are blessings, not curses. His plans are glorious, not destructive. We labor under the false notion that God is bent on making our lives miserable or sending us to do things that we do not want to do. On the contrary, he wants to bless us by fulfilling the desires and dreams that are already in our hearts. Who do you think authored those desires and dreams? God only needs one thing from us in order to pour out his blessing: He needs us to believe him. If it is difficult, reflect on the story of the birth of Christ, because Mary did believe.