Advent Devotional

Day 11 – Let It Be with Me

Luke 1:26–38

Devotional Thought:
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he greeted her with astounding words: “You have found favour with God.” But that favour wasn’t what most of us would expect. It didn’t come with comfort, ease, or recognition. It came with uncertainty, risk, and a call to surrender.

Mary asked, “How can this be?”—and yet, she responded with one of the most faithful declarations in all of Scripture:
“Let it be with me according to your word.”

Her surrender made space for the Prince of Peace to enter the world. She didn’t have all the answers. She didn’t control the outcome. But she offered herself—fully, humbly, courageously.

Advent is a season of waiting and preparing. But more than that, it's a season of surrender. Like Mary, we are invited to make room in our lives for God to do the unexpected. Peace is not found in knowing every step ahead, but in trusting the One who goes before us.

A well-known artist once held a workshop. Dozens of eager students came, ready to learn how to paint like a master. At the beginning of class, he handed each person a canvas—but there was a twist: each canvas had a few bold strokes already painted by him.

Some students looked frustrated. “How can I make this my painting with someone else’s marks already there?”
Others got creative, trying to hide the original strokes or paint around them.

But one student did something different. She looked at the marks, then said, “These are not mistakes. They’re invitations.” And she built her whole painting around what had already been placed—letting the brushstrokes of the master guide her own.

At the end of the workshop, the artist chose hers as the one that reflected true partnership with the original design.

Mary’s response to God wasn’t resistance—it was surrender. She didn’t demand a blank page. She didn’t say, “Only if I understand.” She simply said, “Let it be with me according to your word.”

True peace comes when we stop fighting God’s brushstrokes in our lives and begin trusting His hand—even when the picture isn’t finished. Mary’s surrender made room for peace to be born. So can ours.

Prayer:
I open my heart to your will, O God. Help me to surrender my fears, my plans, and my expectations. May I, like Mary, be a willing vessel of your peace. Let it be with me according to your word. Amen.