Mary was not extraordinary in terms of her humanity—she was an ordinary girl. But she was chosen by God to be used for a special purpose. No other woman did God create to give birth to Himself. God called Mary “Mom.” She was special in that regard.
Mary was also extraordinary in her willingness to do whatever God told her to do. In John 2, she told the servants at the wedding in Cana, “Whatever he says to you, do it.” Jesus perfectly honored His father and mother—He obeyed Mary. But there came a day that Mary learned to obey Him. She knew that whatever He says, you do it. Mary’s obedience to God showed through her obedience to her firstborn Son.
God wanted to do the impossible through Mary. Virgins cannot give birth. It’s impossible. But the angel said to Mary, “Nothing will be impossible with God.”
God used Mary in a mighty way, in a way that He has used no other woman in history of the world. But He was able to, because whatever He said to her, she did it. She obeyed.
Mary asked the angel, “How is all this going to happen? How is God going to use me?” And he said, “The HolyGhost will come upon you and the power of highest will overshadow you.”
In Genesis 1, the Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” He said, “let there be light, and there was light.” God spoke the universe into existence. Here we have God the Father and the Word of God, the Living Word, God the Son. Then the Bible says the earth was formless and void. So, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep. The power of highest overshadowed the universe and gave it order and form and He perfected God’s creation.
In Luke 3, when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, he came up out of the water, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove lighted on Him. It rested on Him.
Then in the upper room, when the 120 were gathered and were all filled with the Holy Ghost, the Bible says that individual tongues of fire sat upon each of them. The fire hovered over their heads.
God told Mary that the HolyGhost would come upon her and the power of the highest would overshadow her. The Holy Ghost hovered over her body until the body of Christ was formed in her womb.
In order for God to use Mary in this special way, the power of the highest had to hover over her until something happened on the inside. For Mary to be used as an instrument for God’s glory, the power of the highest would have to overshadow her. The Holy Ghost would come upon her. This was a promise that Mary received from God.
And God has promised this to you and me too! Not only does God want to use us, but He also promises to empower us. In Acts 1, Jesus said, “You will receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you and then you will be my witnesses.” The Holy Ghost wants to overshadow us like He did Mary. He wants to hover over us for a little while. He wants to come upon us and empower us.
When the angel told Mary that the Holy Ghost would come upon her, Mary said, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.” In other words, Mary prayed “Holy Ghost, do whatever You want to with me.”
The Holy Ghost wanted to work in Mary’s body, and Mary invited Him to come and do with her whatever He wanted. She gave consent for the Holy Ghost to overshadow her and produce a baby in her womb. Mary immediately, without hesitation, said “Yes” to the Holy Ghost.
God wants to use as instruments for His glory, but we must pray like Mary did. Pray these two prayers today: “Whatever You say, I’ll do it,” and “Holy Ghost, do whatever You want to with me.”
Can you pray this? Those who can are those whom God will use to see the extraordinary and impossible accomplished in and through them for His glory.
The Azusa Weekly 