Welcome back to my blog series, journeying through the season of Advent.
The Bible passage we're looking at today is Luke 1: 30 - 35 ...
Then the angel told her:
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Now listen:
You will conceive and give birth to a son,
and you will call His name Jesus.
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.
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and His kingdom will have no end."
Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”
The angel replied to her:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore, the holy One to be born
will be called the Son of God."
Fear can be an overwhelming, even paralyzing emotion. We fear the unknown; we fear things not going the way we thought they would; we fear death, and we fear the death of our loved ones even more; we fear change; we fear loss.
It's little wonder then that Scripture repeats the command, "Do not fear!" so many times!!
Father God knew that in this world we would face times of anxiery, danger, and uncertainty. And He gave us the reassurance we need in His Word to face those times, and not give in to fear.
Many of the great heroes of faith faced moments of fear and doubt - including Mary.
But notice how Father God calms her fears through His messenger, giving her the assurance that everything that is about to happen is in His plan, and is going to happen in order to give both Mary and all the peoples of the world "a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29: 11)
For me, He does this through a single word (although others are spoken) ... the word, "Mary".
Oh, the comfort and confidence we gain when we are known!! Being called by name reassures us that the person speaking to us hasn't mistaken our identity, and they actually meant the message for someone else. Being known by our name gives us a sense of belonging and connection.
Isn't it incredible that Father God, the Creator of the Universe, who "counts the number of the stars, and gives names to all of them" also knows the names of each and every one of His children??!! (Psalm 147: 4)
What a wonderful, faith-filling thing it is to love and serve a God who knows and cares for us personally!
'Mary’s humble submission to God marks out for us a challenging pattern to follow. She gave up all claims to her own body, her own reputation, and her own future. With such faith, God will do great things, for nothing is impossible with Him. At this Christmas season and throughout our lives, may we, like Mary, say to our Lord, “I am Your servant. May Your will be done in my life.”' (S & J Briscoe)