1. Name & Context
Mary, a young virgin from Nazareth, was engaged to Joseph when she received the most astounding message ever given to humanity: she would conceive and bear the Son of God.
She was probably a teenager of humble background, living under Roman occupation and Jewish law — a context where an unwed pregnancy meant public shame or even death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:23–24).
Yet God chose her for the highest honour and the greatest test of faith: to carry His Son into the world.
📖 Luke 1:26–27 (NKJV)
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”
2. How She Asked for Faith
Mary’s first response was not doubt, but inquiry — a sincere question seeking understanding:
📖 Luke 1:34 (NIV)
“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’”
Unlike Zechariah (Luke 1:18–20), whose question stemmed from disbelief, Mary’s question came from wonder and readiness.
Her words expressed both confusion and willingness: she wanted to understand how God’s promise would unfold, not whether it could.
3. How God Responded
Gabriel answered gently, revealing the divine mystery and assuring her of God’s power and favour.
📖 Luke 1:35, 37 (NIV)
“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God… For no word from God will ever fail.’”
He confirmed her calling with evidence — her relative Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy — turning uncertainty into confidence.
God responded with explanation, reassurance, and encouragement.
4. How She Received or Grew in Faith
Mary’s faith was expressed through submission and obedience:
📖 Luke 1:38 (NKJV)
“Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’”
With that declaration, she moved from confusion to complete trust.
Her growth came through receiving God’s word and yielding her will.
She didn’t demand proof; she accepted participation in divine purpose.
Later, when visiting Elizabeth, her faith deepened as it was affirmed by fellowship and overflowed in praise — the Magnificat:
📖 Luke 1:46–47
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
Faith always matures through praise and confirmation within godly community.
5. How Faith Was Tested or Refined
Mary’s faith endured lifelong testing:
- Social reproach: conceiving before marriage brought suspicion and potential shame.
- Danger and displacement: fleeing to Egypt with the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:13–15).
- Motherly anguish: watching her Son misunderstood, rejected, and crucified.
At the cross she stood silently, faith intact amid sorrow (John 19:25–27).
Her faith had moved from receiving the Word to enduring its cost.
📖 Luke 2:35 (NIV)
“And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Through suffering, her faith was refined into steadfast love — the faith that believes even when it bleeds.
6. Results or Outcomes
- Christ born of faith: through Mary’s obedience, the Saviour entered human history.
- Faith honoured: Elizabeth called her “blessed among women” (Luke 1:42).
- Prophetic fulfilment: Her life fulfilled Isaiah 7:14 — “The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.”
- Legacy of discipleship: She continued among the believers after the resurrection (Acts 1:14), praying with the apostles.
Mary’s story bridges Old and New Covenants — her “yes” to God reversed Eve’s “no.”
📖 Luke 1:45 (NIV)
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil His promises to her!”
7. Key Verses Summary
- Luke 1:26–27 — Mary’s calling.
- Luke 1:34 — Her question of faith.
- Luke 1:35, 37 — God’s answer and assurance.
- Luke 1:38 — Her surrender.
- Luke 1:45–47 — Her blessing and praise.
- John 19:25–27; Acts 1:14 — Her enduring faith.
8. Faith Insight / Lesson
Mary teaches that faith is humble submission to God’s word even when understanding is partial.
She did not wait for full clarity before believing; she said “yes” in the mystery.
Her journey shows that faith begins with wonder, grows through obedience, and matures through suffering.
God does not require perfect understanding — only willing surrender.
Mary’s “let it be” is the purest form of faith, turning fear into favour and yielding fruit that changed the world.
💬 “Faith says yes to God before knowing how He will do it.”