Her Pen, His Purpose

Mary, Did You Know? is a carol that invites us to slow down and sit with the quiet mystery of Christmas. It turns our attention to Mary, not as a figure of perfection, but as a young woman who trusted God with a calling she could not fully understand. In her story, we see a faith that held both awe and uncertainty, joy and cost, all at once.

When obedience carries both wonder and weight.

Behind the Song

Mary, Did You Know? was written in 1984 by Mark Lowry, with music composed by Buddy Greene. What began as a list of reflective questions eventually became one of the most well-known modern Christmas songs.

The song asks what Scripture doesn’t spell out directly:
How much did Mary truly understand about the child she carried?

The Bible gives us truth without filling in every emotion or thought. This carol steps into that quiet space, not to add to Scripture, but to help us reflect on the mystery already there.

A Song Built on Questions

Unlike many Christmas carols, Mary, Did You Know? doesn’t tell a story. It asks questions. Questions that don’t demand answers, but invite awe.

“Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?”

“Did you know that He would save our sons and daughters?”

The questions aren’t meant to doubt Mary’s faith. They highlight the weight of what God entrusted to her, a role that carried both promise and pain.

What Mary Knew—and What She Couldn’t

Scripture tells us Mary knew enough.

She knew her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35).
She knew He would be called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32).
She knew God was doing something holy and impossible.

But knowing those truths didn’t mean she understood the full cost.

She couldn’t have known what it would feel like to watch Him be rejected.
She couldn’t have known the sound of nails through His hands.
She couldn’t have known the silence of the tomb.

Yet she said yes anyway.

“I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
— Luke 1:38

Holding Wonder and Sorrow Together

Mary, Did You Know? reminds us that faith often holds two things at once. Joy and grief. Promise and pain. Awe and surrender.

Mary treasured and pondered the things she couldn’t fully grasp (Luke 2:19). She carried mystery in her heart, trusting God without having every answer.

That kind of faith is quiet. Brave. Costly.

The Baby Who Was Also the Savior

The song moves us from the manger to the miracle.

This child would heal the blind.
Calm the storm.
Raise the dead.

And yet, He would also suffer.

Isaiah 53 tells us He would be “despised and rejected,” a man of sorrows. The baby Mary held would one day carry the weight of the world’s sin.

The wonder of Christmas cannot be separated from the purpose of the cross.

A Song That Invites Us In

Mary didn’t know everything.
But she knew enough to obey.

She didn’t know how people would respond. She didn’t know the full weight of what her “yes” would cost. She didn’t know every chapter of the story God was writing. But she trusted the One who was writing it.

Mary, Did You Know? reminds us that God often asks us to obey before everything makes sense. He invites us to say yes—not because we have all the answers, but because we trust who He is. Faith isn’t built on knowing everything. It’s built on trust.

Sometimes faith looks like holding a promise you don’t fully understand yet. Sometimes it looks like moving forward while still carrying questions. And sometimes it looks like resting, trusting that God sees what we cannot.

Mary’s story reminds us that obedience doesn’t require certainty, just a willing heart. And when we trust God, we can believe that the One who starts the story will be faithful to finish it.