Luke 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Teenage pregnancy! What a disaster! Mary was engaged but there were certain cultural practices that had to be fulfilled, and the engaged couple were not to engage in sex until after the marriage ceremony. If Mary became pregnant before Joseph and she were married, it would be scandalous! How would Mary ever explain to Joseph that an angel had informed her God had selected her? Now an angel was telling Mary that she was to become pregnant and to bear a son who would be the long – awaited Messiah. Why didn’t Mary completely freak out and refuse?
Mary was from a devout family and had heard the scriptures read repeatedly. In addition, the Jews had been waiting for a Messiah, so to be the mother of that Messiah was to be forever remembered and forever blessed. Several hundred years earlier, Isaiah had prophesied, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) But how could Mary be so accepting, despite the possibility of social disaster? The answer lies in the Spirit in which the Angel Gabriel came. The mark of the Holy Spirit is peace, a peace so deep that it is beyond our comprehension. This peace is so complete that it can calm storms on the Sea of Galilee and restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf; it can invigorate lame legs and drive out demons. Once experienced, the peace of the Holy Spirit is unmistakable. And it was that Holy Spirit peace that bolstered Mary’s faith so that she could truly agree to be the mother of the Messiah.
Perhaps today your faith has grown very dim. It’s been a very tough year, and circumstances have conspired to make you feel that you are trapped with no way out. But God is no respecter of persons; He doesn’t play favorites. Even though Mary was a virgin, she still needed a Savior, as do we all. The same Holy Spirit peace that helped Mary to act in faith can be yours as well. Ask God to give you His peace, for with that peace will come the faith to believe that God is working in your situation to give you a hope and a future.
PRAYER: Father, today many of us are battered. Problems with our jobs, family problems, financial problems, and personal problems have ganged up on us to crush us. But You are a God of Peace. Lord, we believe that if we ask, you will give us Your peace. Father, we give you permission to enter our minds and hearts and give us Your true peace that never ends and that never goes away. In the matchless Name of your Son our Savior, Jesus. Amen.
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