Read an Excerpt from the Behold the Savior Advent Bible Study

This excerpt from the Behold the Savior Advent Bible Study Book for women was written by Alena Pitts Franklin.

“God doesn’t call the qualified; God qualifies the called.” –Mark Batterson¹  

Chances are, you’ve seen this quote on a phone wallpaper or printed on a cotton slim-fitting tee. It’s possible you may have even muttered the quote to yourself as God called you to something big. That sentiment tends to look a lot more attractive on a screen than it does when weaving its way into the fabric of our real lives.  

I’ve felt unqualified for most of the opportunities God has given me. I wonder whether I’m fit for the job or not. Whether I’ve got what it takes to help usher others into the kingdom of God, let alone myself. I fall somewhere between a zealous servant and a fearful doubter. Eager, yet timid. Wanting, yet doubtful.  

Chances are, you’ve spent a lot of life feeling this way too.  

We look at our sin, our abilities, or our circumstances and wonder how in the world God could use us. We’re open to the small things, but the big ones? The daunting ones? We’ll leave those for someone better.  

We’re not the only unqualified ones God has called on though. He’s been calling the unequipped since the beginning. The very basis of our atonement came through the Son of God who was carried in the womb of one single girl.  

The story starts in Luke 1:26-38 when an angel named Gabriel appeared to her.  

You may know the story and even be able to recite it. Today, however, I want to look at it with fresh eyes. I want to look at the Scripture through a lens of empathy and application. 

Mary was a teenage girl living in Nazareth. She was young and soon to be married. And God saw Mary as the one who should carry and mother the Son of God, Jesus Christ. This on its own is eyebrow raising and intriguing. Out of all the ways God could have sent His Son to earth, He chose an unmarried teenage girl from Nazareth to bear Him.  

In Luke 1:28, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and his first words were, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”  

Gabriel began by assuring her of her identity. Mary was favored and God’s presence was with her. Mary took note of this greeting and was perplexed, wondering what kind of “hello” this was.  

The angel once more reassured her that she should not be afraid and that she was favored. Then, he delivered the message from God. Mary was going to become pregnant with the Son of God through the power of the Holy Spirit!  

I’d have given anything to watch this moment play out.  

Imagine being Mary. Think about the feelings and thoughts she may have been having as a young, unmarried girl. In a lot of ways, she was unqualified. Yet, God wanted her to be the one to bring the Savior of the world to the earth.  

Mary’s response to Gabriel in Luke 1:38 amazes me. Rather than asking more questions (which would have been understandable) or listing off all the reasons she wasn’t qualified for the job, Mary responded simply: “See, I am the Lord’s servant . . . May it happen to me as you have said.”  
 

Then the angel left her. Mary responded with surrender. She didn’t possess any outstanding qualifications. She wasn’t even married. Mary wasn’t perfect; she was a sinner like you and me. But Mary was faithful, humble, and confident—not in herself, but in the God she served. She found favor with God.  

I can’t imagine that all of Mary’s doubts and worries dissipated in those five seconds or for the rest of her pregnancy. She had to explain to her betrothed that it was the Holy Spirit who impregnated her. She had to convince an entire town that she wasn’t a disgrace. She was tasked with carrying the Son of God for nine months and mothering Him. There’s no way she didn’t doubt or fear; she was human.  

But one thing can be proven: Mary was confident in God’s sovereignty and surrendered to His will.  

God isn’t calling me or you to carry and birth the Messiah. We can still learn from Mary’s example, though. Like Mary, we can be faithful to Him, living surrendered to His purpose for our lives.  

He is calling each of us to something. Perhaps you are dragging your feet or in denial because you feel unworthy. But what would happen if you responded like Mary? What would the fruit of your life be if you surrendered to God’s will and trusted that He is sovereign? What kind of peace might you experience if you allowed God to use you rather than ruminating on all of the reasons He shouldn’t?  

The very reason Jesus was sent was so that we could be qualified. Our sin, our incompetence, and our lack are no match for God’s great power. Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection made a way for us to experience life with God and be used by Him. God is ready to use us. We are to be faithful and obedient to His plan.  

Do you trust that He can?  

Like Gabriel said in Luke 1:37: “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

Behold the Savior

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Work Cited

1. Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2011).