God’s Workmanship

When the angel announced to Mary that she had been chosen to bear the Son of God in her womb, this should have been incredible news. The Jewish people had been longing for the advent of the Messiah for over 700 years, and one would think that Mary would have been ecstatic about the news, even more so that she had been chosen to play a significant role in the advent of the Messiah.  But Mary could only see all the reasons why God could not do what He had announced that He was going to do.

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1.34)

On one hand, I don’t blame Mary too much. After all, there are certain things that must happen before a young lady can become pregnant. Her question was logical, well reasoned, and completely in accord with scientific research. Unfortunately, it was asked to an angelic being which means that it was also way off base. Mary was limited in her thinking about how the Creator could act within His own creation. “How can these things be?

The Bible tells me that we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do the good works God has created in advance for us to do (see Ephesians 2.10). The good work God created Mary to do was to bear the Savior of the world, and pesky little things like medical science were not too great of obstacles to limit the Creator and Sustainer of the world. The promise was not only good for Mary, but it remains for us today.

We are all God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do the good works He has prepared for us to do. I find myself repeating Mary’s question all the time when God reveals bits and pieces of what He has called me to do. I look at all of the reasons that I can’t do what He has created me to do, and I ask the Mary question, “How can these things be”?

Lord, thank you for creating me to do good works. Thank you for the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit for whom no obstacle is limiting or defeating. And thank you for choosing to work through fools like me who doubt Your sovereign power.

In Christ – Todd