A Thrill of HopeSample

Have you ever had plans you were sure were God’s will? You prayed about them, felt peace and started to picture how it would all unfold, only to be stopped by something you didn’t expect.

Maybe it was a closed door, a sudden change, or a moment that left you wondering, “God, what are You doing?”

Mary knew that feeling. She was engaged, preparing for marriage, and likely dreaming of a quiet life in Nazareth. Then everything changed. The angel Gabriel appeared to her with a divine interruption.

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31, ESV)

Imagine that moment: a teenage girl is told she would carry the Son of God. The fear. The confusion. The impossible weight of “why me?”

Yet Mary’s response wasn’t resistance or argument. It was surrender:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38, ESV)

Her simple “yes” is breathtaking. Not because she understood it all, but because she trusted the One who called her.

Maybe your plans haven’t gone the way you expected. Maybe you thought you’d be married by now, further along in your career, or finally healed from something painful. But sometimes God’s interruptions are His invitations to trust Him more deeply and to completely depend on Him.

Mary’s obedience was not easy. There was gossip, travel, danger, and yet, divine purpose. God wasn’t looking for someone who had it all figured out. He was looking for someone willing to say, “I’m yours. Let your will be done.”

When life doesn’t go to plan, perhaps that’s your cue to echo Mary’s words: “Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38, ESV) There is beauty in surrendering our lives to God and completely depending on His provision.

Today, ponder this: How do you usually respond when God’s plans interrupt your own? What area of your life is God asking you to surrender fully to Him today? How can you choose trust over understanding in this season?

Lord, I don’t always understand Your ways, but I know You are always good. Help me to say “yes” even when I feel afraid or unprepared. Like Mary, teach me to trust that what You begin, You will finish. Amen.