Luke 1:26-38
"But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.'"
God chose to reveal Himself to an ordinary woman, Mary. Angel told Mary: "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." This sounded a response from God to her prayer, so when Mary heard this joyful message, she was unusually calm. Back in those days, when a woman was pregnant prior to marriage, she'd be lucky not to be stoned to death. What's the joy in the message? She should be thinking how unfortunately she was - Why should she be humiliated so that others will be blessed? It was a tremendous sacrifice, an extraordinary submissiveness and unusual compliance. In fact, there was a strong wish inside Mary's heart to allow God to use her. In verse 49, in her response to God, Mary prayed that "for the Mighty One has done great things for me." In other word, God has listened to her prayer and accomplished great things for her.
God chose Mary because she had a strong desire for God to use her in her lifetime. She wanted to be a part in God's eternal plan and to be a channel of blessing to others. In the religious organization structure of her days, there were no opportunities for sisters to serve, thus it was impossible to do much for God. Mary wanted to be used by God, but there's no channel for her to exercise such ambition. God, however, opened a way for her so that Messiah the Savior was born to the world through her. In the midst of constraints imposed by the circumstance, family, and religious traditions, God made a way for Mary and made her a channel of blessings to many, so that even until today we still commemorate her. Today, God will accomplish great things for you in whatever constraining circumstance you are in. Hallelujah!
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