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By Wayne
Clapp
One of the evidences of Living in God's Power is
how one responds to the Word of God with heartfelt, freewill,
believing obedience. The essence of this believing obedience
is expressed succinctly in Psalms 40:8, which says, "I
delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within
my heart." Delight in doing God's will is the bedrock of
our obedience. There is no allegiance, no loyalty, no fidelity
we put above our devotion to God. We want to please Him
above all; therefore we hide God's Word within our heart
(Psalms 119:11). God is never seen as an interruption or
intrusion into the life of one who is Living in God's
Power. The pleasure of His company is desired and sought
after, and His will is acknowledged by delightful, believing
obedience from the heart.
We can see this delightful obedience in the record of
Mary and her response to Gabriel. Mary was simply going
about her day when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and
delivered a message that had been anticipated by God's
believing people since God first spoke of the promised
seed in Genesis 3:15.
Luke 1:31:
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS.
In Luke 1:28-37, Gabriel addressed her three times: greeting
her, promising the birth of the Messiah, and guaranteeing
that God was able to bring His Word to pass.
Luke 1:37:
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
A better translation of this verse
is "For with God not
anything spoken [rhêma] shall be void of power." Of
course, this can be applied to all of God's Word, but it
was used specifically in this context to assure Mary that
nothing Gabriel had spoken to her was impossible. God backed
up every syllable of the message and was able to bring
every word to pass.
Upon receiving this assurance,
Mary's response in Luke 1:38 was: "... be it unto me
according to thy word [rhêma]." This
is the same Greek word used in verse 37 referring to the
declaration spoken by the angel. Mary wanted what the angel
said to come to pass. The Greek texts put this in an infrequent
optative mood, which expresses desire. It was as if Mary
was saying, "Oh yes, I really desire that it happens just
like you said it would." She wanted to see God's Word and
will come to pass. After the angel departed from her, Mary
arose and went with haste to see her cousin Elisabeth.
Gabriel had told Mary that Elisabeth had also conceived
a son. Mary wanted to see how God's Word had come to pass
for her beloved cousin who was called barren. What a wonderful
blessing it must have been for Mary to see Elisabeth with
child and to hear the encouraging, uplifting words her
cousin spoke to her, knowing Elisabeth had no previous
knowledge of her pregnancy.
Luke 1:44 and 45:
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded
in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those
things which were told her from the Lord.
This emphatic declaration by Elisabeth corroborated all
that Gabriel had told Mary previously. It assured her that
she had obediently believed and that there would be a performance
of those things which were told her. Mary had delighted
in and done God's will.
Similarly, in Luke 2, the shepherds
were going about their business, abiding in the field
and keeping watch over their flock by night, when the
angel of the Lord stood by them and exclaimed good tidings
of great joy: "For unto you
is born this day.., a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke
2:11). They would find him in swaddling clothes, lying
in a manger. The shepherds, delighting to do God's will,
immediately acted on the angel's declaration.
Luke 2:15-18:
...Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing [rhêma, referring
to the specific words spoken by the angel] which is come to pass, which
the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying
in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying [rhêma,
again referring to the declaration of the angel] which was told them concerning
this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told
them by the shepherds.
The shepherds responded with believing action and had
the privilege to see, firsthand, the words spoken by the
angel come to pass. Out of all the people in Judah, the
Lord sent his angel to these humble, receptive shepherds
because He knew they would believe and obey. They also
spoke the declaration of the angel everywhere they went.
They left their sheep in the field and went about their
Father's business as the angel had instructed them. Their
swift action of believing obedience allowed them to find
the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. Their response to
share the good tidings of great joy with everyone they
encountered was their acknowledgment of God's gracious
favor upon their lives. They delighted to do God's will,
also.
Mary's response to the shepherds'
enthusiastic declaration was to keep "all these things
[rhêma, again
referring to the particular words spoken by the angel which
the shepherds made known everywhere], and pondered them
in her heart" (Luke 2:19). What Mary kept and hid in her
heart was the Word. Earlier it had been the words of Elisabeth
that had ministered and meant so much to her. Now it was
the shepherds' declaration (made known to them by the angels)
that Mary rested upon. These were all words from God that
she kept like a treasure and hid in her heart.
Mary's example and the shepherds' example show that they
never viewed God as an intrusion or interruption into their
lives or neatly scheduled plans. Their delight was to do
God's will. This was evident because they reverenced God's
Word and responded with believing obedience. What a legacy
God's Word sets before us. We, like these humble servants,
can desire and seek after the pleasure of His company.
We can delight to do God's will.
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