Friday January 22^nd-Mary-the mother of Jesus-Prayer

Luke 1:26-55

Young Mary about to be married to Joseph is greeted by an angel because she has found favor with God.  Her life is about to be changed and her response is to glorify God.  

God sends an angel [Gabriel] to Mary who is engaged to Joseph, descendants of David who is a virgin.  The angel greets her saying the Lord is with you.  She is perplexed at such a greeting as this.  He tells her that she has found favor with God.  He tells her that she is going to have a son and she is to call him Jesus.  He tells her about Jesus that He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and that the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and His kingdom will have no end.  Mary says to the angel, how can this be, I am a virgin.  He says to her the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.  He goes on to tell her about her relative Elizabeth who is with child in her sixth month.  He tells her NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.  Mary’s response , “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”  After the angel left her she departed to visit with Elizabeth and as we have read last week, Elizabeth greeted her with Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And Mary response is what we call the magnificat! 

The Magnificat is a poem of praise to God, praising Him for His blessing to Mary and His faithfulness to Israel. The Magnificat also highlights a series of reversals in which the proud are humbled and the humble are exalted—not the least being a poor young girl who will be the mother of the Messiah.  [Matthew Henry]

·     magnifies and exalts God and rejoices in God her Savior.

· She is humble before the Lord.

· Realizes that she will be counted as blessed and favored by God!

·     That He has done great things for her

·     He is Holy

·     His mercy is upon every generation toward those who fear Him from generation to generation

·     He does mighty deeds with His powerful arm and scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

·     He brings down rulers

·     He exalts those who are humble

·     He fills the hungry with good things

·     He helps His servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy just as He promised to our father, Abraham and to his descendants forever.

O Lord my God my soul magnifies and exalts You Lord.  My spirit rejoices in You, God my Savior.  I rejoice in You, my Lord who blesses me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places and has forgiven me of my sins.  I am humble in Your sight O Lord, to think that You would even think of me.  You gave up Your life for mine!  My hope is in You my Savior and helper.

You, Who made the heavens and the earth and all that it contains.  You keep my faith forever and You execute justice for the oppressed.  You give food to the hungry and You set the prisoners free.  You, open the eyes of the blind and lift up those who are bowed down.  You love the righteous.  You protect the stranger and support the fatherless and the widow, but, You make crooked the path of the wicked.  You have done mighty deeds with Your powerful right hand.  Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power, and shatters the enemy.  You have kept the promises that You made to Abraham and Your mercy is on every generation that fears You.  Your every word proves true and You are a shield to those who trust in You.  You are my strong tower and that I can run into and be safe.
I praise You Lord!  Praise the Lord O my soul!  I will praise You while I live!  It is good to sing praises to You, my God and King!  Amen

How can we be praying for you this week? 

With the entrance of sin into the Garden of Eden, man was estranged from His Creator. Man was tainted with the curse of a sinful nature and this sinful nature required atonement. Mankind could not be good enough, talented enough, wise enough, wealthy enough, or favored enough to atone for himself. He needed a Savior. And God promised this Savior. His people cherished this Promise and passed it’s hope on through thousands of generations. This promised Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament:  This is what was known about Him.  He would be:

- Of the seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18)

- Of the line of Jacob (Numbers 24:17)

- Of the line of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)

- Of the line of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6 , 2 Samuel 7:12-13)

- Of the tribe of Judah in the region of Ephrathah, in the town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)

- And He would be born of a virgin 

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭

Can you imagine being taught these prophecies from long ago and being filled with hopeful anticipation of when these prophecies would come to pass? Could you imagine how surreal it must have seemed to Mary to be told that she would be the mother of this promised Messiah? It’s no wonder that she had questions and perhaps initial fears as all of this was revealed to her but ultimately she had a gracious, humble heart of acceptance and willingness to serve her God.

““I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

God knew from the beginning that Mary would be a willing vessel and that she would trust him to be a faithful promise keeper. As Elizabeth said of Mary “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!””‭‭(Luke‬ ‭1:45‬). Mary was an ordinary girl who believed in an extraordinary God. You and I are asked to be the same....ordinary people who faithfully trust in an extraordinary God. Just as God was with Mary, he promises to be with you too.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And God asks us to trust His higher purposes even when we must personally endure sorrow and suffering. Sometimes that’s when we have to cling to His promises all the more. Mary was called “ blessed” and “favored of God” and yet her life was not easy. She gave birth in a stable, had to flee with her husband to hide the baby Jesus from His enemies. She had to hear the criticisms and hate of the people who rejected Jesus. Mary also had to see her son tortured and crucified. Simeon, recognizing the Christ child when his parents brought him to the temple gave Mary some foresight into this future dichotomy she would experience. 

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”” Luke‬ ‭2:30-35‬ ‭

I truly admire Mary and I hope that my heart can be as faithful to trust Him not only for the good things and the joyful blessings but when there is challenge and trial and sorrow too. I’m sure that as Mary pondered all that she was told and who her son was destined to be, she accepted that God’s plan for her son was necessary to redeem the world. 

“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:50‬ ‭