In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:35-38

Mary’s faith in the annunciation account is amazing. When the account begins, she seems skeptical, not that Gabriel came to visit her, but rather that God has found favor with her. Upon hearing the news of her coming pregnancy involving the Son of God despite being a virgin, she responds, not with skepticism, but rather with confidence and obedience saying, “Behold I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

The remarkable thing about this account is that, because Mary trusted God, Jesus was born into this world to be a savior for us. Mary hears from Gabriel that “nothing will be impossible with God,” and trusts that truth unquestionably. Yet, as I read the account and consider my own life, I wonder if God’s love and forgiveness is possible for me. Is it really possible that because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that God has also found favor with me? The answer is not just that it is possible with God, the answer is yes.

As we go into the world, we will encounter many who simply cannot wrap their minds around the fact that God could love them, value them, and even find favor with them. Finding it hard to believe ourselves, I pray that we trust God like Mary, and share the words of Gabriel, “nothing will be impossible with God!”