Why faith in God’s promises isn’t risky

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!
Luke 1:45 (NIV)

In the 1^st chapter of Luke, two people are visited by angels with miraculous news.

An angel told Zechariah that he and his elderly wife were going to have a child after years of infertility. And then a few months later, an angel told the teenaged Mary that she was going to have a baby—even though she was a virgin.

These angelic announcements were incredible promises sent from God … and yet Zechariah and Mary had 2 very different responses to those promises.

Zechariah responded, “How can I be sure of this?” in unbelief (Luke 1:18), while Mary responded with confident faith, saying “I am the Lord’s servant…may your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

Now, I’d like to be able to say that I see myself in Mary—that I always take God’s promises to heart immediately and never waver in my confidence.

But honestly, I’ve ridden the roller coaster of hopes and disappointments before. And so—far too often—I respond to God’s promises like Zechariah. “How can I know for sure?”

Maybe you can relate. If you’ve ever experienced disappointment, getting your hopes up can feel risky.

But as I studied Luke 1 this week, 3 aspects of Mary’s faith inspired me to have more faith in God’s promises. Maybe they’ll do the same for you.

Mary’s faith in God’s promise wasn’t devoid of questions.

As she listened to the promise spoken through the angel, there were aspects of God’s plan she didn’t fully understand. “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (v34)

While Zechariah questioned God’s promise in unbelief (and was rebuked for his lack of faith), Mary both believed and had questions at the same time. And she was not scolded for that.

It just goes to show: our questions need not prevent us from putting our faith in God. He is open to the questions of people who seek Him.

Mary’s faith in God’s promise wasn’t a naïve hope that life would be easy.

I imagine that as Mary listened to the angel’s words, she realized what all of this could mean for her.

In society’s eyes, she would be an unwed teen mother. No doubt, she would receive looks of judgment from friends and neighbors. And she could receive far worse if people didn’t believe her story about what really happened…

Yet in the face of all these possibilities, Mary still believed and surrendered to God’s promise.

Mary could do this because her faith was not naïve. It was grounded on something that could withstand all her questions and all her concerns about the future.

Mary’s faith was an underlying trust in the God who made the promise.

As Mary listened to the angel, she no doubt picked up on the 3 names he used for God:

The Most High (v 32, 35): This name declared that there was no one higher or more powerful than God. This meant He had the ability to do the impossible and to keep His promise to her. As the angel told Mary in verse 37, “no word from God will ever fail.”

The Lord God (v 32): This name reminded Mary that God was her Lord and master. It meant that God had the right to work out His will in her life. But it also meant that God would take responsibility and oversee her care and wellbeing.

The Holy Spirit (v 35): This name points to the 3^rd person of the Trinity and how He would be involved in God’s plan—but focus for a moment on the adjective “holy.” This would have reassured Mary that God was worth surrendering to. He is altogether different than human rulers, masters and promise-makers. He is good, pure and trustworthy in all He does.

Each of these names revealed something about God’s character and gave Mary a reason to trust Him.

As Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (NIV).

No, Mary didn’t have all the answers. And no, she didn’t know exactly how life would play out. But she knew the God who made the promise and she trusted that 1) He would keep His Word and 2) He would keep her.

This is what enabled her to say: “I am the Lord’s servant…may your word to me be fulfilled.”

The same can be true for us.

We may still have questions and life may not always be easy.

But if we will look to the character of God, we can trust that His promises are sure and the working-out of His plans will be good.

We can surrender to hope and to His will.

Mary reminds us that faith in God’s promises is never a risk.

Because we know the God who made them.

Putting it into Practice:

What promise from Scripture do you struggle to believe at times?

How does God’s character inspire you to greater faith?

Do you know someone else who needs this encouragement? Please send them a link to this post. I pray that everyone who visits The Well-Worn Bible will be pointed to Jesus and find all they need in Him.

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