I like science, especially medical science. In school, I loved learning about the human body and all its working parts. All the thousands of “hidden” chemical processes going on in our bodies in the blink of an eye are mind-boggling. Even though these processes are “natural,” they still seem miraculous to me. In my mind, I wonder, How does this work?!

Mary asked a similar question. “How can this be?” It was a science kind of question.

Let’s review the story from Luke 1.

Mary was a young Jewish virgin girl betrothed to a man named Joseph. God sent an angel to Mary to give her a special message.

Angel: Greetings! You are very special to the Lord! The Lord is with you!

Mary: Huh?

Angel: Don’t be afraid. You’re going to have a special baby. You will call him Jesus. He’s going to be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he’s going to be a king with an everlasting kingdom!

Mary: How can this be, since I am a virgin? 

It was a good question! She didn’t know as much about science as we do today, but she knew enough to know that babies need a mom and a dad.

The angel had an answer. In short, “God.”

Angel: You see, Mary, with God, nothing is impossible. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High God will cover you. The baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. Not only that, but your cousin Elizabeth will also be having a son in her old age. Everyone thought she couldn’t have a baby, but she’s six months along. Just because you’re a virgin and just because Elizabeth is old doesn’t mean God can’t make things happen. In fact, this was prophesied 700 years ago: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Even though it was prophesied, the news was most likely shocking to Mary. Not only would she become pregnant in a miraculous way, but her child was going to be the Son of the Most High AND the Son of David. True God and true man. Holy and sinless. The offspring of a woman who will crush Satan’s head.

Does anything in your life seem impossible right now? Maybe, like Mary, you have questions. I’ve been hurt; how can I ever forgive? I made a big mistake; will it ever work out? My life has no purpose; can I still find meaning? I’m filled with fear and anxiety; can I ever be at peace? I feel lost; can I be saved?

With God, all things are possible. God enabled a virgin to conceive in order to take care of our most “impossible” situation: our separation from him because of our sin. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we now have forgiveness, victory over death, and a restored relationship with God.

And this same God promises to be with us through all the “impossible” situations in our lives!