26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Read Luke 1:26-38 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In Mary’s conversation with the angel in the first chapter in Luke’s gospel, we read an incredibly powerful statement that the angel shares. While the context of this statement is the birth of Jesus, the way this statement is phrased makes it much more universal than being confined to just one conversation that happened over 2,000 years ago.
The last thing the angel tells Mary after sharing God’s plan for her life is this: “For no word from God will ever fail.” (v. 37)
Of all the verses included in the entire Bible, this one may come in as one of the most powerful messages ever spoken. This statement tells us that every single thing He has promised will come to pass. We might not always know the details or the timing surrounding when it will happen, but we can be assured that because God said it, it will happen.
It is worth paying attention to a follow-up question surrounding this statement: “Why?”
We should ask ourselves the questions “Why can we be sure that no word from God will ever fail?” and/or “Why is it that no word from God will ever fail?”
We can believe the message the angel shares is true because it tells us a key piece of God’s character. While God is merciful and He is willing to delay judgment (the events surrounding Jonah’s message to Nineveh), His words will ultimately come to pass (Nineveh was eventually destroyed, but it was at a later date because God delayed His punishment as a result of the peoples’ response to Jonah).
This statement also assures us of another promise we have: Jesus will return and God will remake the heavens and the earth to be perfect like they originally were before sin. God has promised us this in His Word, and we can be sure that His word will never fail!
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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