Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

Luke 1:34 (NAS)

From Zacharias, Gabriel’s next stop was to deliver a message to Elizabeth’s relative Mary, a young virgin betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. In her case, the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would be “with child,” the son of the most high God.

Whereas Zacharias questioned the angel on the improbability of he and his wife conceiving, Mary’s question was appropriate, in that she would need to know a man first, and such a thing would be unconscionable out of the bond of marriage. Her response was not incredulous but “amen,”

And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38

The difference was a keen understanding that with God all things are possible. What turns out more often than not is that we consider most things as impossible. Our default position should be that of Mary’s. We know that in later years she would “goad” her son to act at a wedding celebration when the supply of wine ran short. (John 2:1-5) He’d not performed a miracle yet, but she was confident he could do something. May we all possess this presupposition!

Mary immediately traveled the hilly 50 miles or so to see Elizabeth, having been advised of her condition by the angel. Upon hearing Mary’s greeting the baby John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb. Then filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth said this.

“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Luke 1:45

We should read the promises in God’s word and react the same way Mary did. In doing so, according to her spirit-filled relative, we will be blessed!