Women of the Bible Series: Mary…Blessed and Highly Favored

Women of the Bible Series

Mary…Blessed and Highly Favored (Luke 1:26-28)

Luke 1:26-28, “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the LORD is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”

A perfect Saviour was the only cure for an imperfect humanity. It was God’s plan from the beginning to send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for the sins of mankind (I Peter 1:19-21; Ephesians 3:9-11; Genesis 3:15). Who would be the woman that God would trust to conceive, to deliver, and to raise His Son and our Saviour? What mother did He use, select, and trust? That answer is Mary. While Mary was in a way favored above all women in being chosen as the mother of Jesus, this in no way suggests that she is to be worshiped, prayed to, or given a divine title.

Note that Mary was chosen because she found favor with God (Genesis 6:8). Her humble and godly life pleased God to such an extent that he chose her for this most important task (II Timothy 2:21). Mary’s blessing would not only bring her great joy, but also much suffering and pain (Luke 2:35) because her son would be widely rejected and then executed for no fault of His own. In this world, when God calls someone to a specific mission for Him, it will almost always involve blessing and suffering, joy and sadness, successes and disappointments.

Mary stands out as one of the most, if not the most, honored women of all time. God’s description of Mary was “thou that art highly favoured, the LORD is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28). Mary was willingly obedient to God’s will or purpose. She was one who truly loved and followed the Lord with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength from her childhood to her death. It was evident that she had a heart that was humble, teachable, submissive, obedient, and worshiping. She was willing to bear whatever reproach would come because she was willing to do God’s will. Mary is another great example of Biblical motherhood.

1. Mother’s Sacrifice (Luke 2:41) “Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.”
Parenting has always been a practice that demanded unseen sacrifice. It costs to have children today, but it is worth it all. Today, parents are bringing children into a fractured world with challenges the previous generations did not have to face. To put it bluntly, we are living in a godless society, that has abandoned the basic principles of life. I’ve heard people say, “I don’t know if I want to bring children into this world today”. Don’t you let this world tell you that it is too big of a job for God to give you a child, to bring a child into this world and raise them for Jesus Christ. There are no degrees of difficulty with God. No big thing is harder for Him than a small thing.

2. Mother’s Service (Luke 1:26-35) “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” (Luke 1:31)
Mary was a woman who was willing to be used by the Lord. She was at the place where God could speak to her and she could be used of the Lord for a mighty work. The Lord is seeking mothers who are willing to walk with Him and surrender their will to His. If you will wait on God, seek the Lord, and walk with God, God will do something in your life.

3. Mother’s Support (John 19:25) “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother…”
One of the most difficult things for a mother to endure is to see their child have to bear their cross. Bless the mothers who will stand by their child when their child is bearing their cross. The Bible teaches, other than John, that all of the disciples fled, but His mother was there. If you want to be a godly mother, be there for your children when everybody has forsaken them and fled. When He was mocked, spit on, beaten, marred more than any other man, and nailed to a rugged tree, she stood by Him. This is the power of a mother’s love. A godly, Biblical Christian mother will stand by their child when the entire world has turned against them.

Mary discovered that God had a plan personalized just for her. When we are obedient and comply with His purpose, He can use us beyond our greatest imagination. We should be willing to obey God’s will and purpose for our lives even if we do not understand why. God sees the whole story and He has already written the final chapter. We can only see the current page we are on. Jesus set the example when He prayed, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Points to Ponder:
What seems hard for us, even impossible, is nothing for Him.
In spite of a problem seeming difficult from our perspective, there are no degrees of difficulty from God's.
Our problems, whether minute or monumental, are not problems at all to God.

Questions to Consider:
Do you trust God enough to let Him use you?
What are some struggles you faced when the Lord wanted to use you in difficult circumstances?
How did you overcome these struggles?

PRAYER: LORD, I want to thank You for my mother, who loved me, labored for me, and has never left me. In Jesus name, Amen.

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