Mary Moments

     Every Christian experiences "Mary moments," as in Mary's song, or Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55. Times when you realize--Who am I that I should be so favored, chosen by God? for salvation? for service? I believe this recognition of our insignificance, our powerlessness, is essential for salvation. We would not believe we needed it otherwise. And I believe this humility is essential for God to use a believer in any significant way. Although it is a mortal mistake to try to add to God's word, it is also a mistake to assume that the people in it went decades of their lives without speaking to one another just because it is not recorded in scripture. I believe Rebekah told Isaac that Jacob was to receive the birthright. How lousy would your marriage have to be not to mention this message from the Lord to your husband, the only person who could bestow the birthright?

     Moses is another example. Although there are no verses that say his parents told Moses about God's plan for him, Acts 7:25 says that Moses knew about his role as deliverer and thought the Israelites would understand that when he killed an abusive Egyptian. Moses grew up being schooled in the wisdom of the Egyptians, he spent his next 40 years in God's school of humility. God did not want to use the son of Pharaoh to deliver his people, He wanted to use a shepherd. 

    Humility is not required, however, for God to use unbelievers. Pharaoh's plan to oppress the Hebrew slaves, is what eventually made them willing to leave Egypt. His plan to wipe them out at the Red Sea and God's miraculous deliverance, is what made other nations unwilling to attack them as they wandered in the wilderness. In cases like Pharaoh, the more boastful the better. And in our time, I believe God is using our president to work out many of His purposes for our country, Israel, and the world, but I'm fairly sure even Trump's best friends would not describe him as humble.

     The Bible has many examples of God using people like Mary, Moses, Gideon, shepherds, fishermen, tax collectors, etc. who thought they had nothing to offer. And they were right to think that. But they did not stop there, stuck in their own insignificance. Like Mary, they let God use them. Asking "Who am I?" shows us our need for spiritual birth. After that, we spend the rest of our lives discovering--Who is God?