Experiencing the Favor of God
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall 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 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. -- Luke 1:26-38
Mary had grown up in the same village as the carpenter’s son, Joseph, who was several years older than she. Perhaps they had admired one another from a distance or maybe Joseph had just been waiting for his darling Mary to grow up into young womanhood. When Mary was only 13 or 14 years old, it was settled between the two families. Mary was to become the wife of Joseph.
Engagement, or betrothal, at this historical juncture held the commitment that marriage requires today. Although Mary and Joseph were not living together and would stay pure until their wedding night, the only way out of a betrothal was divorce and the only reason that justified a divorce was adultery.
Mary was likely in her girlhood home one afternoon, maybe working on her wedding attire, or sewing towels for her new home when she sensed someone in the room with her. Conceivably, Mary looked around to see if anyone had joined her.
For Mary, Christmas brought the challenge of understanding what the favor of God truly means in a person’s life. Mary was about to learn that being highly favored by God does not mean a life of unbroken happiness nor does it promise that all of one’s dreams might come true.
Mary needfully learned that there is a tremendous price to be paid by those who are highly favored by God. Favor simply means that the Lord is willing to use an ordinary person for his greater plan.
God is willing to use the young, the uneducated, and the inexperienced in his grand plan for humanity. Just as the favor of God targeted the womb of Mary, I believe the favor of God will target anyone who is willing to be part of God’s strategy. God’s favor begins the day that a man or a woman humbly says, “Yes” to God.
Christmas, for Mary, was also about discovering the intimacy of the Lord’s presence as never before. Mary was about to confront the reality that favor occurs when God places a piece of Himself into an earthly life. No longer was God a mere concept or a Divine Being Who never engaged Himself in the affairs of everyday life. Gabriel’s message assured that the presence of God Himself had invaded the life of this young girl.
Experiencing the favor of God in new ways is one of the best parts of Christmas for me. I hope it will be the same for you. To think that God, the Creator of the universe, would desire to use my ordinary life is a perfect gift I never imagined I would find under the Christmas tree of life.
Discovering a fresh lifestyle of intimacy with Jesus is God’s life-changing Christmas gift to you this year.
Christmas joyously proclaims to your world, “The Lord is with me ... and with you! What a wonderful surprise!”
Questions for Reflection:
1. What do the words “the favor of God” mean to you?
2. How can you experience a greater intimacy with the Lord this Christmas season?
3. How have you experienced the favor of God?