“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 1:38
Have you ever said that?
“Let it be, God, according to Your word.”
In a prayer? Out loud?
Honestly, I have to admit that I’m the one who’s usually responding to the vagaries of life with “Really, God?!”
Yes, question marks and exclamation points. “Really, God? You need me to do what?” “Really, God! I don’t need this today!”
When not whining, my response to God can turn into a laundry list of wants and a to-do list. ‘Tis the season,’ if you know what I mean. “Dear God, help me _________ (you will in the blank).” “Heavenly Father, bring comfort and healing, peace and wellbeing, hope and faith.”
Important prayers, but no “may it be…”, no “let it be…”
So what does that even mean? “Let it be, God, according to Your word”?
Placed in the context of today’s world, “may it be” and “let it be” can easily feel like a shrug-of-shoulders, a “whatever” reaction to the moment and the circumstances.
And that can quickly morph into an “I don’t care” kind of response to the “whatever.”
Thinking about our relationship with God, I think our “Let it be” response is really an openness to God’s will, His way, His when. It’s a readiness for wherever God might need us. It’s also a willingness to be who God needs us to be.
First, let it be an openness to God’s will.
Today’s verse is from the angel’s visit to Mary when she learns she will bear a son, not just any son, but the Son, the Son of the Most High.
Was this part of her vision board? Uh, no!
Did she have a question? Maybe two? Yes.
Did she have an “Oh! My! Goodness!” moment? Probably.
Did she say yes? In a beautiful entry in her gratitude journal, beginning with the words, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
In minutes the trajectory of Mary life changed. In those same few minutes, she sees the blessing of her call.
It can take me more than a few minutes to appreciate a change in direction and even longer to see the blessings in those changes.
But, ladies, when God needs us, He needs us. And our ability to say, “Yes, let it be!” is a heart-thing, not a head thing.
Second, let it be a readiness for wherever God might need us.
We are women of faith, capable business women, women who want to be part of something bigger, something even more important, something that transcends us. We’re planners and organizers. We solve problems and find answers. We value the opportunities given us, the relationships in our lives.
And we don’t like to get off track.
And sometimes God takes us in directions not expected, never imagined.
We can think we’ve got a pretty good understanding of God’s unique call to us, and then we find ourselves where we didn’t plan to be, a side street we don’t recognize. We shake our head and think “Really, God?!”
Yes, really.
Because when God needs us where He needs us, He puts us where He puts us.
Last, let it be a willingness to be who God needs us to be.
I marvel at Mary. It’s easy to look past her circumstances, the soft glow of the scene, the angelic message, and focus on the excitement of a baby.
Thinking about something so big can daunt us. Who can relate?
No, we’re not Mary. But like Mary, we are women who have been called to a very special purpose.
We’re all part of a life not expected, never imagined. There have been times that were harder than envisioned; others more glorious than our biggest dreams. There are opportunities that never came to fruition and challenges that were daunting. There were also opportunities that surprised and delighted us, challenges that really weren’t.
Are you open to God’s next for you?
Are you where God needs you to be?
Are you who God needs you to be?
And the bigger question: Ladies, what can we do to answer “Yes, let it be to me as you have said, Lord.”
Lord, we are Your servants.
May it be to each one of us according to your word.
Help us be open to Your next.
Help us be where You need us to be.
Help us be who You need us to be.
Help us serve You and Your people.
Amen.
Yes, let it be.
Deanna Nowadnick is the author of three books, Fruit of My Spirit, Signs in Life, and Bouquet of Wisdom.
