Have you ever been told something would happen, but that thing seemed like an impossibility at the time? Last fall, I was with our high school ministry as we took a group of 20 students to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip. When we arrived at our missions facility on Saturday, we were given an orientation and informed about the kind of work we would be doing for the week: the construction of a church in a poor, remote village about two hours away. I remember the leader saying, “Monday we will begin construction, and a team will go out to the site and begin to prepare the foundation. On Thursday, we will complete the building and have a ceremony dedicating the church and giving the keys to a local pastor.”

I remember thinking, “Did they just say we will build a church in four days? Something isn’t right here. Some aspect hasn’t been explained fully. Maybe we’re preparing the site and a team of engineers is coming in behind us. Of course, that’s what it is.” My world was about to be rocked. Over the next four days, we worked tirelessly cleaning the site, laying the foundation, assembling the walls, doors, shutters, windows, and roof, down to every last nail and screw. Everyone gave it their all. And guess what? Thursday afternoon we completed the building! Afterwards we met with the pastor who was to take over the new church and had a prayer service over the future of his ministry. I remember getting emotional because what had taken place was so spectacular.

In Luke 1:34 Mary asks the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Hers is a natural response to an extraordinary announcement. Reason is stretched to its limit as she ponders the events foretold to her, not out of doubt but out of curiosity. Gabriel obliges her question and tells her the manner by which the Holy Spirit will accomplish these things. But my favorite moment from the scene comes ten verses later, when her cousin Elizabeth says to her, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (1:45).

Mary believed. She may not have understood, but she believed. The Scriptures are full of people, like you and me, who may not understand all the time, but who believe. And our God, the God of the impossible (recall yesterday’s devotional), accomplishes the truly unbelievable. The words that were given to Mary are written for us as well: blessed are we who believe that there will be a fulfillment of what is spoken by the Lord.