Read Luke 1:26-33
What stuck out to you in reading these verses today?
Did the verses raise any questions as you read?
What is God leading you to know or do from these verses?
What is the significance of how the angel greets Mary?
First, Mary is given special, divine favor from God. The root of the word favor is often translated in the New Testament as grace. God gave Mary special grace for the task that was ahead of her. Mary was not a dispenser of grace, as some would believe, but rather she was shown special favor by God for the task for which God had chosen her, bearing the Son of God. This had nothing to do with anything in her that set her apart. She was a humble girl, from an unimportant place, yet God chose her for this important role and gave her grace to perform it.
Second, God not only chose her, he said he would be with Mary in a special way. That’s the promise of all of Scripture, that God would be with us. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:23). God’s plan from the beginning of time until the end of time is to be with us. He is the good news, and his presence is all that we need.
We can all have God’s grace and his presence with us. When we trust God by faith we receive his Holy Spirit. That’s the promise of Jesus, given by God. We can experience his new birth in our lives and his presence with us, always, by faith. What an indescribable gift!
I Commend Joy! 