The Hope of a Handmaiden
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Point: Mary experienced the grace of God (Favor) and believed the Word of God, therefore she could be used by the Spirit of God to accomplish the will of God. Do I have hope in God and the Word of God? If so then I will experience the favor of God and be used by the Spirit of God to accomplish the will of God.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be.
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.
And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
You are highly favored and the Lord God is with you! What would be your response to those words if an angel of the LORD visited you today? It may likely depend on the financial situation you find yourself in today. Some may wholeheartedly agree, others not so much. It may depend on your work situation, your homelife, and/or the status of significant relationships in your life. My mind may say absolutely because I know the Word of God and God says that He is always with me and will never leave me (Heb 13:5). My heart on the other hand may be crying out, “Are you Lord? Are you with me? How can you be when I am experiencing what I am?”
Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.
Psalm 55:22 reassures us that God is with us in whatever we experience.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says that in whatever temptation, we face, God is with us and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear. He will always provide a way of escape.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.
Hebrews 4:16 says that God will provide His mercy and grace at the time when we need it most.
Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.
The Apostle Paul assures us that situations work out for the good of those who love God and are called (and respond), to His purposes (Romans 8:28).
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
Do I believe God and the Word of God as spoken here? Then you and I have hope, the same hope that a girl of fifteen had who faced the prospect of abandonment, shame and humiliation because she would conceive a son out of wedlock. How would she face her husband Joseph, who believed he had choosen a wife of noble worth, ethic and moral? How would Mary face her mother and father, who bore the stigma of being Jews of Galilee, “unkosher” or unclean and on top of it Nazarites (Mt 4:15; John 1:45-46). How would she face the community when she could no longer hide “the bump”? How would she survive being a fifteen year old, that no man would ever touch because she was considered “unfaithful” and an adulterer?
Mary’s problems multiplied when the angel of the Lord showed up and announced to her that ‘she had found favor with God’. Mary’s response was not ‘this cannot be’, or ‘should not be’, but was ‘how can this be?’ Mary’s response is a question of faith, not of unbelief (Luke 1:34). Not like Zachariah, who He expressed his disbelief, when the angel Gabriel announced that his wife would bear him a son who would announce the coming Messiah (Luke 1:18).
Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”
“How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
What is our response to God when He declares that you are favored? What do we believe being favored by God looks like? For most it looks like financial prosperity, work security, an abundance of food (we prefer), good health and sound relationships. In other words, no disturbances, no shortcomings, everything the way we like it and want it. So by the world’s view, Mary was not favored by God, she was punished by God. Why would a good God bring a social and cultural nightmare upon a young girl, and her husband, who have done nothing wrong? Sometimes the the Greatest Gift of God, does not look like, nor feel like, the greatest gift at all.
Mary’s response was to simply receive, believe and accept God’s will. She believed God’s promise, but did not understand the performance. We may believe God’s promises to us, but may not understand how He will fulfill. This is disturbing to us, because men usually do not do anything unless we count the cost, it’s a biblical principle (Luke 14:28-30 ).
“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
Mary’s response in that moment, was to humble herself before God’s angel and submit herself to be the handmaid of God (Luke 1:38). She thought about the impossibilty, but accepted God’s possibility.
“I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
Do I believe ,and accept, God’s possibility, to work in and through all situations, if it is His will? Even if it is not His will?
I believe the great comfort to Mary was the fact that Gabriel promised her that God would “overshadow” her (Luke 1:35).
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.
Mary would have the divine power and influence of God to shade her and rest upon her.
Illustration: I have a huge Manitoba Maple in my backyard. I love this tree because it is a great shade tree, it casts a long shadow of shade from the sun. I take my hammock and put it under this tree and read a book, listen to music, or simply have a nap. The best thing is I do not have to worry about being scorched by the sun and I can simply relax.
Mary would not have to worry about anything because the shade of God was going to protect her, and Jesus, from anyone and/or anything that would come her and Joseph’s way…and God did. God told Mary and Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt to escape the threat of King Herod (Mt 2:19-23). He then warned them in a dream to return to Galilee in Nazareth because Archelaus, Herod’s son, would take Jesus’ life as well (Mt. 2:19-23).
Do you know that God shades you? That He overshadows you? As Boaz put his cloak over Ruth the Moabites, declaring his care and security for her, and her needs, God does the same for you and me? Jesus actually prayed and asked the Father to protect you and me in the world?
I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.
I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.
Just as God the Father overshadowed Mary, the Holy Spirit overshadows you. You cannot be taken out of the hand of God without His allowance and permission. 1 John 5:18
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the One who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish —ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.
So…do you and I have the same hope of the handmaiden Mary? She submitted herself to and do the will of God. She submitted herself to be the will of God in her world. Have we? Will we?
Mary experienced the grace of God (Favor) and believed the Word of God, therefore she could be used by the Spirit of God to accomplish the will of God. Do I have hope in God and the Word of God? If so then I will experience the favor of God and be used by the Spirit of God to accomplish the will of God.
SIS: The favor of God is bestowed by God upon whom He desires. It is brought to fruition through the will of God and the exercised faith of the believer. Am I experiencing the fruit of God’s favor? Am I a handmaiden of Christ? Amen