Today I am spending time with Mary in Luke 1. As I was reading through this chapter I find a series of “Mary moments” that are touching my heart. Moments I feel like God is speaking directly to my heart too. Please share in these informal moments with me as I open my devotional…………..
1. This first one comes from verses 27, and 28.
27 To a girl never having been married and a [a]virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [[b]endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! [c]Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!
I see that the Word of the Lord can come to any one…..even a young girl……even a not so young girl like me. I love how the Word comes…..it tells her who she is. “Favored One!” We are favored by God! God’s Word always connects us with His purpose for us. His purpose is to favor us! He has endued us with His grace. He is with us.
2. Next comes from verse 29
29 But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean.
Like Mary, I often find myself troubled by what the Lord is speaking. I know He is speaking but I struggle to make logical sense of what He means. I too, roll it over and over in my heart and mind. Often my reality is so far away from what the Word is speaking to me. How can God favor me when I stumble through my life? I am no one, I am nothing. How can I be favored of God? Yet, that is exactly what happens. God sends His word to endue me with His divine plan. Just as He sent His Holy Spirit to impregnate Mary with His purpose and plan……I often feel His Words coming to me but they are so fantastic that I close off my heart and never conceive His great plan. Mary didn’t do that. She opened up her heart and conceived that which was impossible. This makes me ask…..Lord help me conceive your word in my life. Let me take it into my inner being and let it produce your life in me.
3. Then verse 30
30 And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace ([a]free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God.
So many times I have been afraid to believe what I think God is speaking to me, just like Mary. I love how God knows what we are feeling and provides. Mary was afraid. Look at how God assures her. “You have found grace.” I receive this word today. Let it speak to your heart too.
Today, you have found His grace. What is that? His grace is all that He is for this moment in your life. His grace comes to us freely and is joyfully given by God. It is His absolute favor…..you are His absolute favorite you.
Read this out loud:
“Do not be afraid (insert your name), for you have found grace with God. “
4. Mary’s response in verse 38 always gets me.
38 Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her.
Oh how I want my heart to be in such a place. Often when His Word comes to me, I hem and haw, make excuses and check my agenda. Oh, for a heart that would speak “Let it be done to me according to your word.” I need to learn how to respond to the Lord.
Mary knew she belonged to the Lord and she didn’t struggle against that. So many times, I lead my life from my own directive because I think I am my own. Yet, the truth is I belong to the Lord. Mary knew this and responded accordingly.
Today, I encourage you to let your heart respond to Him. Let His word be conceived in your heart. Let His vision and purpose be impregnated in you. Respond to the Lord.
5. Mary goes and connects with Elizabeth. I love how God created us to connect with one another around His work in us. Elizabeth says to Mary in verse 45,
45 And blessed (happy, [a]to be envied) is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from the Lord.
We need each other to confirm and help to grow the Word of God that we are pregnant with. I love what Elizabeth says here to Mary. She reminds her that she is believing for fulfillment from the Lord. She reminds her that this is a place of blessing. How we need Elizabeths in our lives to remind us of the place of blessing we are standing in as we believe for the fulfillment of the Word the Lord has spoken to us.
6. Lastly, I love Mary’s response in verse 46
46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies and extols the Lord,
47 And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Mary’s soul could have magnified that fact that she was pregnant out of wedlock, that she hadn’t told Joseph, that she had broken the law…..but no, she magnifies the Lord. What a lesson for me. What is my soul magnifying? Is it my circumstances? My feelings? My fears? Or is it my Lord? Let it be like Mary, “My soul will magnify the Lord!” I am in charge of what my soul magnifies….I chose to let it be God.
Tapestry ~ Treasures 
This is really, really good. Very powerful points you have made here. Thanks for sharing with the rest of us.