When God Seeks For Your Permission

Are you willing to let go of your good plans and allow God's will to be done? This is not an easy decision to make. It is a tall order. It is a high calling.

Let me state it here and now; for God to accomplish His plan He uses ordinary people like me and you. Sometimes the responsibility may be huge but you should know that God is not asking you if you can do it. He is simply asking if He can use you as His instrument to carry out His plan. 

We cannot run away from the fact that being an instrument of the Lord is a huge responsibility. However, you better rejoice because to be chosen as an instrument of the Lord is a favour and a blessing.  Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus Christ. The angel Gabriel greeted her as a favoured woman. "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favour with God!" (Luke 1:30 NLT).

Mary was given a huge responsibility - to give birth to the much anticipated Messiah. As we have discussed in our previous post, agreeing to this arrangement meant that she was rendering herself to public ridicule. God was only seeking for her permission to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Difficult as it was, Mary had to say, "Yes Lord!".

I find it interesting that the moment you agree to God's agenda in your life, He helps you revert to you plan. He helps you to accomplish your personal plans - the only difference being that your plans are now intertwined with his Divine plans. Eventually, Mary got married to her fiancé Joseph.

Accepting such a huge responsibility calls for total dependence on God. Mary accepted the responsibility based on the evidence of God's miracle working power. It was proven to her that nothing is impossible with God as her relative Elizabeth was said to be pregnant in her old age. 

When the angel had explained everything to Mary, she spoke these powerful words, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38 NKJV). As William McDowell sings, it's like Mary was saying, 'I give myself away, so you can use me.' She was surrendering all to God, withholding nothing! She took the responsibility through total obedience to the will of God.

God determines the time when He wants to unveil His plan and He looks for the instrument to use. He is the one to take care of the instrument, ensuring that it is always in good condition and well sharpened or prepared to function effectively. As long as the instrument is in the hands of the Lord, it is safe! He never forces you to be that instrument but He is asking, "Can I use you?"