By Mark A. TaylorÂ
“Where he leads me, I will follow.”
That was Mary”s decision, finally, after she had expressed her confusion about the message the angel brought her. “I am the Lord”s servant,” she said. “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).
Joseph, with his own set of doubts, decided he would obey God, too. When God”s messenger explained to Joseph that his fiancée was pregnant by action of the Holy Spirit, “he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him” (Matthew 1:24).
Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, obeyed God”s will, too, although he also hesitated. When the aged priest pressed Gabriel for proof that his elderly wife would bear a child, the angel told him he would not be able to speak “because you did not believe my words” (Luke 1:20).
Isn”t it interesting that God did not reprimand Mary or Joseph for their questions, but he did punish Zechariah? Maybe Zechariah, who had spent his lifetime serving God and studying his Word, should have been more ready to see God do something miraculous.
“Where he leads me, I will follow.”
I wonder how ready I am to follow God wherever he leads. How open am I to recognize his marvels? How available am I to let God bless others through me?
The angel told Mary, Joseph, and Zechariah not to be afraid. Obeying God can be a frightening thing, especially when he”s leading us to tackle something that seems out of the question. Both Mary and Zechariah thought first of themselves when they heard the angel”s message. “Look at me,” they said in so many words. “God can”t do what you”re suggesting, because there”s something about me that makes that impossible.”
How often have similar objections been raised even this year in church offices and meeting rooms and in the private thoughts of church leaders across the land?
“Where he leads me, I will follow.”
Sometimes it”s hard to know where God is leading. Sometimes, even when his will is as clear as he made it to Mary and Joseph and Zechariah, we still hesitate.
As we celebrate Christmas again this year, aren”t we glad these three yielded to God”s will? It is certain that each of them was glad, for their submission opened the door to unforeseen blessings in their lives. The same can be true for every Christian who looks away from self to take the first step in the direction God is leading.
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
