Mary Did You Know

Luke 1:38 (ESV)

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[a] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?

This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, Did You Know? Is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

This touching song has been played for well over three decades during the Christmas season. The lyrics are beautifully written and contain powerful phrases like, “Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand…” and, “This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.” It’s a stirring line of questions asked by the songwriter that cause listeners to stand in amazement at the power of our God.

We really don’t know much about Mary except that she was a virgin and probably in her early teens. According to Luke 1:28, we know that she was “highly favored” and that “the Lord was with her.” Even without a stunning resume, God used her. Sweet, little Mary who kept to herself and wasn’t a big “playmaker” was invited by the Creator of the universe to change the world.

Many think the reason He chose her was because of her willingness. Upon hearing God’s plan for her life, Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (Luke 1:38)

Mary simply said yes to her Lord with no conditions whatsoever.

Where are you in your life right now? How much of “you” have you truly surrendered? Are you living the truth that “your life is not your own” and that you’ve been “brought with a price”? Is there something that you are missing out on because you won’t let Him lead?

We have a Messiah. His name is Jesus. He is the Savior of the world. He walked on water without a single bit of effort. He came and died to make us new. He gave sight to a blind man with some dirt and saliva. He woke up from a deep sleep and calmed a raging storm with his human hand. He fed over 5,000 people with a tiny bit of bread and fish. He does the miraculous.

And He has amazing plans for your life.

What have you not surrendered to God?

What is keeping you from doing so?

Dear Lord, help us to say yes to You like Mary with no conditions. Help us to surrender to You the things that are keeping us from You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Mary Did You Know?

Luke 2:19  (ESV)

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Mary, Jesus mother, had been visited by an angel, became pregnant without a man, married Joseph, traveled to Bethlehem, gave birth and had just had a bunch of shepherds rush in to see her new baby. As these men left amazed and in a hurry to tell others about what they’d discovered, we are told that “…Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Dear, dear Mary – I wonder what she was thinking about.

One of my favorite Christmas songs asks that very question, “Mary, Did You Know?” Not only is this a wonderful song, the story behind the song is also inspiring. In his book Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas Ace Collins writes, “…this song’s gift to the world might have been lost forever if a set of loving parents had not chosen to believe in the promise and potential God placed in their child.”

Mark Lowry, a singer with the Gaither Vocal Band, started singing almost before he learned to talk. When he was in grade school he was often a problem in the classroom. At about the same time he was diagnosed with hyperactivity it became apparent that the boy had absolutely no athletic ability. To some Mark appeared to be little more than an energetic klutz, but his parents emphasized the positive and helped turn what could have been a curse into a blessing.

They encouraged Mark’s obvious love of and talent in music. Over the next few years, Mark became so successful in his singing career that he had to finish junior and senior high school by correspondence.

By 1984, Mark Lowry was living in Houston and was asked by his pastor to write something for the annual Christmas pageant. Mark began to consider what it would have been like to have been Jesus’ mother and then began to write these spine-chilling words. “Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod and when you kiss your little baby, you’ve kissed the face of God?”

After the pageant Mark filed his powerful poem away for several years. In God’s time Mark eventually became a member of the Gaither Vocal Band, met songwriter Buddy Green and “Mary, Did You Know” was put to music. For the first time in decades, a new Christmas song had become an important facet of traditional Christmas celebrations.

Yes, the very things that made Mark Lowry unique could have held him back, yet because his problems were viewed as gifts by his parents, Mark thrived. “Mary, Did You Know?” a song like no other Christmas carol ever penned, written about a mother like no other, came from the hand of a man like no other.

Dear Lord, we thank You that You can use each of us in a unique way.  Help us to have our ears and hearts open to what You have for each of us to do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.