Mary, the mother of Jesus: She has been called the mother of mercy, mother most pure and virgin most powerful. Probably the most wonderful compliment Mary ever received was not a name given to her, but a tribute to her circumstance. Her relative Elizabeth and the angel Gabriel said of her: “Blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28, 42). What happened to Mary was not just an occurrence or an event. It was not something that happened without intent. What happened to Mary was a circumstance, surrounded by specific detail, with intent to change the world. What happened to Mary was divine circumstance.
Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, a descendant of Aaron and the wife of a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah: “Elizabeth and her husband were upright in the sight of God” (Luke 1:5-6). Elizabeth, like Mary was honored by divine circumstance. She was the mother of John the Baptist, who would “go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah…” (Luke 1:17). Her circumstance, too, was surrounded by specific detail for a purpose.
Read Luke chapters 1 and 2
The Scripture says that the angel who came to Mary said to her, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you”. (Luke 1:28). I would say that this statement is a testimony to Mary’s character. She surely was a young woman who had lived her life in faithfulness to her God. Yet her faith was not without question. After the angel explained to her that she would give birth to “The Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32), she asked the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”. The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary answered the angel by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:34-38). Wow, what a great testimony to her faith. Notice Mary’s attitude, in her questioning of this circumstance. She did not say, “This is impossible, how CAN this be?”. She simply said, “How WILL this be?”.
Let’s bring Mary and Elizabeth together. Elizabeth, who had been childless into her old age, is now into her six month. Elizabeth, who found herself with child in her old age, who knew in her heart that the Lord lavished his favor upon her, was about to filled with the Holy Spirit by the presence of Mary and her unborn child.
The Scripture says that Mary hurried to the home of Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the babe inside of her leaped and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth blessed Mary and the child within her. She encouraged Mary, as Mary questioned why she should be so blessed and favored by the Lord. Elizabeth said, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished”. (Luke 1:39-44). What a wonderful bond the two must have felt in their souls. It was a bond by divine circumstance, and by the Lord’s favor.
Scripture references: Matthew 1-2; 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 1-2; 8:19-21; John 2:1-11; 19:25-27; Acts 1:14
Today, as you think about your faith, think about a time that you have questioned the will of God. Did you ask, “How can this be” or “How will this be”. Certainly, we will not be asked to accept the circumstance of Mary. This cannot be, it’s already been done. Has the Lord ever asked you to do something to which you said, “Lord I can’t do that”? Maybe we should learn to say, “Lord, how will I do that?” or better yet, “Lord, help me to do this thing you have asked me to do”. As you think about your faith today, thank the Lord for those in your life you are bonded with by circumstance. Thank Him for your friends and family, that He has divinely placed in your life. The Lord is intentional, and divinely purposeful. May the Lord lavish His favor upon us as we lavish our faith upon Him.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 10:37 pm and is filed under About Butterflys. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
