Faithful Father (Day4)

Favor. Fear Not.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Luke 2:26-31

At this point in Mary’s life, she was a teenager. She was pure and preparing herself for her new life with her husband to be, Joseph. She was living her life before the Lord in a manner which He could bestow favor upon her. As she was living her life and seeking her next steps with Joseph, the Lord interrupted her plans, with His plans.

Before reading anymore, I want to ask you a question. Are you ready and welcoming to an interruption from Heaven? I ask you this because Mary was about to have her life interrupted majorly. God was going to give Mary favor, so much favor, that she would be afraid.

Favor

We have the blessing of reading this passage with hindsight. We know the beginning of this event, the middle events, and the end event. Jesus came, He died, He rose from the dead, and now He is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Mary did not have such foresight going into this journey. She did not have the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John at her disposal. She would be given divine promises from God (SO YES, MARY DID KNOW, let’s stop singing songs that ask that), that she would have to guide her and prepare her for her ministry as the mother of Jesus.

Mary had found favor in the eyes of the Lord. I absolutely love Mary’s reaction to this favor. Gabriel tells Mary she is a “favored one” and that “The Lord is with” her. She becomes troubled and starts to fear. I love this reaction because it shows how purposed her heart was. God had seemingly been mute for hundreds of years, and now all of a sudden, a message from Heaven comes. The message said, “Hey Mary, you are favored, God is with you!” What?!

Her fear shows us the pureness of her heart. “The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”Mary demonstrates this perfectly, yet unintentionally, for she was not responding to the Lord’s presence for show. She was genuinely distraught at this overwhelming revelation. I know many people who would be flamboyant and not fearful in this scenario. Everyone and their Mom would know just how “special” they are for being a favored one. But this was not Mary, this was a heart God could minister through and use for His glory. Mary would get the knowledge of what was to come, it was because of her disposition to God.

Simply put, Mary was fertile for the favor of God. She was a person God could use so powerfully, because she saw herself so humbly before the Lord. This is a heart that Jesus desires for His followers today. He can’t use people who will be reckless with His favor. It would do us all well to learn to steward favor, as Mary did.

Fear Not

So, Mary was favored. But another take away from this passage is that God’s favor is intended to work for us as fuel, not fear. Notice that Gabriel says “Fear Not.” God is not out to harm us. While His presence may be overwhelming, and we not feel up to the task He has intended for us, He is faithful. While He is indeed worthy of fear, we need not see Him like that, because we know Him as Father.

The Lord want’s to encourage you and charge you to fear not! There are plans He has for your life. These plans will stem out of positions of favor, but do not be overwhelmed and debilitated. Be fueled by the favor and walk humbly before your God. He is for you! To “fear not” is to be at peace with His plans, despite the consequences that may arise from following His plans. This passage once again shows how Faithful of a Father He is.

God did not simply thrust Mary into the lion’s den of the religious, He gave her a word. He gave her a plan, and He let her in on what He was about to do. He told her exactly what would happen to her, who this child would be, and what He would do. God will never put you in a position where He is not able to be your Father. He is your God, He will not shift His nature or character because you are too far into the plan He has for you. Remember this as you walk in faith. Your Father is faithful, and He will lead you and guide you. walk in His favor, and fear not!