Favor
Can you imagine the emotions that Mary must have experienced when the angel appeared before her and said, “Fear not.” Well, actually, he first said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!”
But it’s what the angel said next that would trouble Mary the most. “Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
So God found favor with Mary. With who she was on the outside as well as who she was on the inside. Then He asked her for a favor. A big one! To give birth to His son, Jesus, even though she was a virgin and engaged to Joseph. She had to conquer her fear. Mainly, what will my fiancé think? What will others think? But Mary believed, and she said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.”
What is God asking you to do that seems impossible? We have proof from Mary’s story that with God, nothing is impossible, especially when the Holy Spirit is involved. Like her, be willing to serve the Lord. You don’t need to know all the “how to,” and you don’t have to be the best, just willing. It would be best if you did not consider what others would think. You can’t control that aspect, and they will judge you anyway. Know this; your obedience, saying “Yes” to God, will prompt Him to bestow upon you even more favor, and you will accomplish what God wants to do, even the impossible.
If you would like to read the entire section of events from Luke 1:26-38 (NET), I have included it below:
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 30 So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! 31 Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.
36 “And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
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