Tag Archives: Mary

Glued By The Holy Spirit

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GLUED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and travelled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and sang out exuberantly.

‘You’re so blessed among women,
and the babe in your womb, also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that
the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your
greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb
skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said,
believed every word would come true.'” Luke 1:39-45 (The Message).

What a beautiful exchange between these two country women! Family they were, but now they were bound together by something much deeper than family ties. Just as John and Jesus were joined by a mission from God that prompted the unborn prophet to respond to the embryonic Messiah, so their mothers were tied together in worship of the One who had chosen them to bear their sons.

In Mary’s excitement to share her story with Elizabeth and to share Elizabeth’s joy that she no longer bore the stigma of barrenness, she dropped everything and travelled across Galilee and Samaria on foot to the little Judean town where Elizabeth lived. Newly pregnant with all the discomfort that a fresh pregnancy brings, her joy carried her across the miles on winged feet.

It was a dangerous journey and she travelled it alone. It may have taken her many days. Where did she sleep? What did she eat? Did she find shelter in the homes of friendly countrymen? What of her journey through Samaria where she would have found only hostile stares and an unfriendly reception.

None of these things seemed to bother her. Luke’s story tells only of her arrival at Elizabeth’s house. It’s almost as though Elizabeth were expecting her. What unseen bond tied the older and younger women together? The moment Elizabeth laid eyes on Mary, something extraordinary happened. For a new mother-to-be, who feels only the unfamiliar flutters of her growing child, Elizabeth felt movement so strong that she said the baby danced!

At that moment both Elizabeth and Mary, and John and Jesus, were glued together by the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth burst out with an exclamation of acceptance and affirmation. Out of her mouth poured words that were powered by the Holy Spirit. She knew nothing of the chequered life story of Mary’s boy yet to be lived, but in her heart she already knew and accepted Him as her Lord.

What an extraordinary woman she was! Five months in seclusion, alone with God to savour and enjoy the unusual favour of God who not only miraculously rescued her from the unbearable state of barrenness but had also chose her to be the mother of the greatest of all the prophets and the forerunner of Messiah.

How often we miss true greatness in the glare of fame and bright lights! It is not always the ones who occupy the stages and platforms of the world who are the true greats. God’s opinion of greatness is simple; childlike obedience to His will. Elizabeth spoke blessing over Mary because she believed and accepted God’s word to her, whatever the cost.

“After removing Saul, He made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David, son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'” Acts 13:22(NIV)

Nothing Is Impossible

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NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

“He will be called great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest’.
The Lord God will give Him
the throne of His father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever —
no end, ever, to His kingdom.”

“Mary said to the angel, ‘But how? I’ve never slept with a man.’

The angel answered,

‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you;
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.’

“‘And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth, conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”

“And Mary said,

‘Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.’

“Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:32-38 (The Message).

Unlike Zachariah, Mary did not have a problem with unbelief. She just didn’t know how she could conceive a child without a husband. A simple explanation satisfied her and she quickly submitted to the Lord’s will.

Did she understand what this calling would cost her? In the mercy of God she, like us, lived her life one day at a time.

If her fiancé, Joseph, had not been the godly man that he was, and a man who truly loved her, she might have lost him and the opportunity of having a husband and a normal family.

She had no idea of the stigma that she and her son would carry because of His virgin birth. And what of the pain of a son who appeared to have lost His mind so that He needed protection from Himself, and the worst of all, losing Him to death at the hands of His enemies! How would she handle the transition of being the mother of Jesus to being a disciple of the Son of God?

When Mary made her commitment to the angel that she was willing to be God’s handmaiden, although she knew nothing of what lay ahead of her, she was ready to entrust her body and her life to the God whom she loved and served. Whatever He asked of her, she was willing to give and she never reneged on her promise.

She trusted the God of her fathers and she trusted the son He had placed in her care for thirty years. With the angel’s reassurance ringing in her ears, ‘Nothing is impossible with God,’ she gave herself to her calling to bear this child, no matter what pain it brought into her life, because God had asked her to do it.

God Does Such Nice Thiings

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GOD DOES SUCH NICE THINGS!

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:

“Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.

“She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, ‘Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: you will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call His name Jesus.'” Luke 1:26-31 (The Message)

What a lovely way to announce his presence! Poor Mary did not know what to make of the angel or his greeting.

Imagine a teenage girl suddenly being confronted by a celestial visitor with a shocking announcement that she was to become pregnant before her marriage! What would her fiancé’ and her family think of her? How would she convince them that this was none of her doing! Should she agree to this, she would run the risk of being stoned to death – the price of fornication.

The angel’s greeting was neither apologetic nor explanatory. What was he trying to do? Butter her up with sweet words? Not likely! He was a messenger from God, speaking words from God. He was conveying in simple human language exactly what God thought of Mary. Isn’t it amazing that he should have used words of lavish praise and appreciation!

Did that mean that Mary was perfect? No! Did it mean that God saw Mary as perfect? Yes! What was the difference? God saw Mary as she would be, not as she was. Isn’t that dishonest? No! God sees the end from the beginning, the finished product, and is able to appreciate His handiwork in advance because He knows that He will complete what He had begun.

“…Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV).

It was on this basis that God could entrust her with the task of bearing and raising His boy to manhood in a home where He would be taught to love and honour God. Seeing that Jesus was the Son of God, did He need that? Yes, He did because He had to learn to be human and He had to learn it in an environment of a loving and caring home where both His earthy parents honoured and obeyed God.

God chose well. Mary’s response reveals her heart attitude to Him. She did not know all the implications of her obedience, but she could trust Him to lead her through whatever came her way because she knew that He was faithful to His Word. She might have been caught up in the excitement and glamour of the moment, but she would soon learn what her commitment meant.

In her words of simple surrender, “‘I am the Lord’s servant….May it be to me as you have said,'” Luke 1:38, she crossed the line in the sand and put herself totally at God’s disposal to do with her as He chose.

Are you willing to do the same?