Luke 1:34-36 (ESV Strong's)
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 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. 36 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.
Faith Grows
In the above passage we read the response of Mary when an angel appeared to her to inform her she was going to become pregnant, as a virgin, and was not going to have relationships with a man. She would become pregnant by God and carry the Son of God in her womb. At this point most of us would say, “What?!!!” But, Mary simply asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” She had a very acceptable question to God, coming from a young virgin. Notice on the other hand what happens when the High Priest (who should know God the most) questions his message from the angel:
Luke 1:18-20 (ESV Strong's)
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
The lesson here: To whom little is given, little is required ... see verse 20 above. Unlike Zacharias, above, Mary didn't ask "how" this could happen, as if in unbelief, but "how" will this happen, as in logistical things. Zacharias asked in disbelief. God knows our faith. God knows who should have faith (because God gave it to them) and who is still growing in faith. Faith is a growing commodity. We are to get more and more faith. Notice Christ’s response when the disciples would later ask him to increase their faith:
Luke 17:5-6 (ESV Strong's)
Increase Our Faith
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Seeds grow!! We need to allow our faith to grow as we become more and more familiar with God’s power and grace in our lives. We can not become stagnant. God wants to increase our faith.
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