When my wife died, she had no fear of going to Heaven. Yet she was wary of the mysterious process of dying. The unknown factor is sobering for all, save daredevils. Thinking or talking about death isn’t popular, particularly for those uncertain about the dying experience and the afterlife.
After sensing the Spirit of God was clearly leading me to become a pastor-at-large in a seminary in the Philippines, I was also wary of tomorrow’s unknowns. While I had no apprehension of where I will spend eternity, I was uneasy about how the life of a 79-year-old widower might look while serving at a seminary, serving 38 different nations with multiple cultures. I am not a cultural sociologist, so this is a glaring unknown to me.
It is in this context that I pondered the thoughts and emotions of Mary when the angel appeared to her and asked her about becoming pregnant and giving birth to a son of the ‘Most High’. No one knew how to prepare for that! As a teenager, in a culture where pregnancy out-of-wedlock was totally unacceptable, it could have been fatal for her. Bottom-line; she must have imagined social rejection. But she was ‘engaged’ to be married, so how would her fiancé respond to such a thing happening to her. She was both very courageous and totally devoted to God when, in-spite-of her misgivings, she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38 (NLT2) Stepping into the unknown at a seminar in the Philippines would be a ‘cakewalk’ compared to the complications of becoming pregnant and giving birth to none-other-than the Son of God.
Given my insecurities, I could fully understand that Mary had to focus on an inner conviction of who God is rather than on the formidable uncertainties. I have drawn strength from reflecting on Mary’s total commitment to allowing her body to become the mother of God’s Son.
While surrendering all of one’s rights to become shaped into the image of Jesus is less foreboding than following Mary’s example, or even mine, it has distinct similarities.
People each possess a kingdom in which they control their actions, whether they think of it that way or not. We often think of a baby not having a kingdom but, mind you, babies have temper-tantrums because whatever they wanted wasn’t coming to them as they wanted. The rights of a teenager are often normally well contested. Irrespective of age, for a person to become a true Christian or Christ-follower, that person must surrender their kingdom over to God’s kingdom. That surrender of rights begins at conversion, but it is a continuous process, called sanctification, until they breathe their last breath. The more a person surrenders, the greater intimacy, and therefore divine joy and peace, that person has with God. Although only an early teenager, Mary showed serious spiritual maturity when she consented to becoming the mother of Jesus. I’m ashamed that it took so long for me to consent just to go to the Philippines.
This begs the question, how far can you see that you have come in surrendering your kingdom, your rights to control your daily decisions, to God’s kingdom, the kingdom of God? How have you recently responded when He made His last request of you? Do you sense you need to get back into His presence and surrender your rights to the unknown in your future?
Yes, I should, surrender all!!