This woman, revered for centuries, is the final stop in our search for true Ezer identity through the scriptures. But her calling as favored and blessed is offered to all women who were to come--even us.
The angel Gabriel, God's messenger, had been busy. Only six months before, Gabriel had visited Zechariah, the priest, to inform him that his wife would bear a son named John, the one who would foretell the Messiah's coming. Zechariah, although in the God business, had a hard time believing. Perhaps his head knowledge of God's promises surpassed his heart knowledge. When he questioned how his wife could get pregnant, he was admonished:
19 "The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
On the outside, Zechariah is older and wiser. But God doesn't look to the outward appearance; he looks to the heart. And when Gabriel comes to Mary, he sees what God sees: a young woman who believes.
When Mary visits Elizabeth during their pregnancies, Elizabeth exclaims a blessing over Mary: a blessing of belief. "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" What a blessing! I want to be a woman that believes in God's promises and that is blessed by that belief!
This week, we will gather around our dinner tables, eating off underused china and creaking open well-worn card tables. We will say what we are thankful for. We will count our blessings. But I know we tend to focus on circumstantial blessings--jobs, family, homes--ones that can be so fleeting, from health to happiness.
I wonder how often we look to that which Mary sang about in prayer: the blessing of knowing our God.
This week, let's focus on our spiritual blessings, the ones that come through our relationship with a God who loves us. Mary mentions his intimate involvement in our life, his mighty power, and his faithfulness. Paul reminds us that we are blessed because Christ invites us to take him into our hearts, and receive the full blesssing of forgiven sin and right standing with God.
That is a blessing that no one can take away, that time can't tarnish, and that circumstances can't change. So when we arrive in paradise, we can stand with Mary to exclaim that we, too, are blessed.
To listen to Nicole Unice teaching on Mary: Blessed, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment