Direct quotes from: The Remarkable Women of the Bible by Elizabeth George
When you receive a task from the Lord, how do you respond? In Luke 1 Mary received and incredible challenge – the role of being the mother of Jesus, God’s own Son. Her first reaction was a feeling of inadequacy. According to the world’s standards, we can often feel inadequate or unfit for the tasks the Lord calls us to. But for the all-powerful God, nothing is impossible. In fact, He often uses us when we feel the weakest and most inadequate.
Upon hearing the position God was calling Mary to fulfill, she responded, “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord!” Luke 1:38 “In the Bible, maidservant or handmaid refers to a female slave whose will was not her own. Instead, she was obligated to perform her master’s will without question or delay. A handmaiden would sit silently, watching for hand signals from her mistress (Psalm 123:2), which she would obey without question or hesitation.”
Mary responded to the Lord’s will and change in her life with the heart of a handmaiden, wholly committed to her God. “Her one purpose in life was to obey her Master’s will…Whatever God wanted, this humble handmaiden was willing to do, even though obedience meant that everything in her life changed forever.” Lord, give me the heart of a handmaiden.