There was a lot Mary had to take in and process when the Angel Gabriel showed up with a Word from God. This encounter with a heavenly messenger was far from a normal experience for her.
In the Bible, we don’t find Mary ever praying for or pursuing an angelic experience. On the contrary, the Bible tells us that quite unexpectedly . . .
† [The angel] came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:28-30 NRSV
The Angel Gabriel was sent to deliver a Word from God to Mary. But having never seen such an angelic sight in her life, the young teenager was in no condition to receive this Word from God. She was scared, confused and disturbed. Her mind was racing trying to figure out what this angel could possibly mean.
What did the angel do? He calmed Mary’s fears by telling her the Lord was with her, and that she had found favor with God.
This set the stage for what the Angel Gabriel was about to say next to Mary—the most important Word from God that would not only change Mary’s life forever, but also the entire world!
What was this Word from God that the Angel Gabriel gave Mary to hold on to for the next year of her life, if not more? What can we learn from Mary’s encounter about the value of having a Word from God to hold on to in the year ahead?
The NEXT THING the Angel Gabriel told Mary is this:
† ”And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:31-33 NRSV
This was BIG! What the angel was telling her was not only going to impact her life, her family and her nation, but also the world and its future for generations to come.
The arrival of the Promised Messiah of Israel was being announced and Mary was being told that she is the favored one God has chosen for this task.
But Mary had a problem. She didn’t understand how that would work. In her mind, the idea of her being the kind of person God could use for such an assignment seemed like such a far-fetched impossibility, she had to ask the angel how can this be happening, since she was a virgin?
† The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; He will be called Son of God.“
Luke 1:35 NRSV
This was an “Emmanuel” moment!
Emmanuel means “God with us.”
Emmanuel is the prophetic name God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah some 700 years earlier concerning the nature of Israel’s coming Messiah.
But in addition to that, . . .
When the Angel Gabriel showed up to tell Mary that God was with her, he was also prophetically announcing that God was going to be in her.
Mary was the one chosen to be the virgin through whom the baby Jesus would be born and enter the world. She was chosen to be His earthly mother and to care for the One would provide salvation and forgiveness of sin for all who would put their faith and trust in Him.
The angel also offered further proof concerning God’s ability to bring this Word to pass. He told Mary that her relative, Elizabeth, who was in her old age and known to be barren, had also conceived a child and was already in her sixth month of pregnancy.
And with added emphasis the Angel Gabriel asserts . . .
† ”For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Luke 1:37 NRSV
The Apostle Matthew, in his account of this story says . . .
† All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
Matthew 1:22-23 NRSV
How do you respond to such a heavenly and angelic encounter?
Mary provided the perfect response.
† Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
Luke 1:38 NLT
This story teaches us that . . .
It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus entered into humanity and enabled Mary to play a significant role in the Christmas story.
One of the last things, Jesus told His disciples before His death on the cross was something similar to what the Angel Gabriel told Mary concerning the Holy Spirit.
Jesus told His disciples . . .
† ”If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.“
John 14:15-17 NLT
Essentially what Jesus was telling His disciples is that once He was gone and ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit who was living among them was going to come later to live within them!
The Holy Spirit would give life to the Lord’s disciples, His dwelling presence living within the temple in their hearts.
And just like Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit, His disciples would also become vessels through whom Jesus could enter the world and touch lives!
When Mary went to see Elizabeth, her older relative that the Angel Gabriel had spoken of earlier, joy erupted! Elizabeth could not contain herself. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child started having a party within her, leaping for joy! Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and with a glad cry recognized the work the Holy Spirit was already doing in Mary’s life.
Elizabeth exclaimed, . . .
† “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.”
Luke 1:45 NLT
Let me encourage you today:
Has God given you a WORD to hold on to in the year ahead?
For Mary, it was “Emmanuel” which means, “God with us.”
Whether it’s a need or a dream you’re challenged with in the year ahead, you don’t have to face it or tackle it alone.
In Christ, God is with you!
Whatever challenges or opportunities the year ahead brings, just remember there are still lives God wants to touch through His people; that includes the lives He wants to touch through both you and me. And the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the temple of our hearts is what will make this possible!
If you don’t know Jesus, follow Him today, believing the Lord wants to give you a Word not only for the year ahead, but also for your life! As you spend time reading the Bible, learn to welcome the Word that comes from God, just like Mary did, as His servant.
Whenever we stand ready as God’s servants, to do whatever He tells us, God can take our otherwise physical and mundane existence and turn it into something He can use for His glory!
Let me PRAY for you!
O God, Our Father, You are the God in whom nothing is impossible! It was through the power of Your Holy Spirit that Jesus entered into humanity and has been changing the world ever since. You entered into our lives and opened up a whole new reality that there is nothing we would ever have to face alone.
For those who are feeling lonely entering into this next season of their lives, Lord, fill them with Your peace and Your presence as they put their faith and trust in You. Grant unto us all, the grace to be the kind of vessels You can use to work in and through to touch the lives of those around us. May the Spirit who was in You, be in us, enabling us to know Your will and empowering us to do Your will, for Your glory! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen!
Comments
2 responses to “What WORD has God Given You for the Year Ahead?”
Hi Yancey, I just discovered this site. It feed me on this otherwise lonely day Thank you for your words of inspiration. It lifted my spirits as I read God’s truths. God bless you and family in the New Year. All my love Auntie Norma
Thank you so much for your kind words. God is so good! God bless you and your family abundantly in the New Year!!