”And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”“
Luke 1:28-33 NKJV
She was preparing for her wedding day. Her future was all planned out. She was to marry Joseph. He was from the house of King David. But there was an interruption on her timeline. The messenger Angel Gabriel was sent by THE MOST HIGH GOD CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. Once the angel entered the house the trajectory of her whole life changed.
Gabriel called her, “Highly favored one.” He told her the Lord is with her. She was blessed. God favored her. He was about to make her the happiest and the most prosperous among all women.
I love her response. She wasn’t awestruck at the angels magnificent appearance as Zechariah was. No, it was Gabriel’s words that troubled her. His words confused her. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that the Lord God favored her, blessed her, saw her in her lowly state.
Did she consider herself a nobody? She was a lowly peasant girl from the town Nazareth whose reputation was, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Yet Gabriel’s words belied her circumstances.
We think that about ourselves also don’t we? Who am I that the Lord should love me? I am nothing, a nobody, yet… God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son the whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
We elevate Mary, we esteem her, as we should. She was the mother of our Savior, but she was only human. The difference is her heart condition. She was highly favored because she lived a life reflecting on God. God knew she would hold His Son’s story inside her heart and treasure everything that would happen to Jesus.
Gabriel spoke the same greeting to a man named Daniel.
”He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.“
Daniel 9:22-23 NLT
So what’s the connection between these two favored souls? Their heart condition was inclined to esteem and seek out their Creator. Daniel was praying when he received this greeting. Mary would always consider and ponder her life with Jesus. She would hide these events in her heart and mind.
Oh dear soul if you have ever wondered, “God do you care? God do You see me?” You just have to start the journey toward Him. He will come running. As Gabriel told Mary, “The Lord is with you.”
”The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”“
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
These words are not just for the few. Zephaniah didn’t say some of you. No this promise is for all. God is in the midst of us! That’s a fact. It’s just that the Mary’s and the Daniel’s of this world are attuned to seeing and hearing the Lord.
Thank God it is for all of us or I wouldn’t have a chance! Ha