Luke 1:26-38
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary, and the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.”
Amazing! What a vision! From what follows, we see that Mary had an open heart and spirit towards God. She had come to realize her “need” for God and His forgiveness. As she praises God, she declares, “...My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (vss. 46-47) Obviously, she knew she was a sinner, or she wouldn't have seen God as her personal Lord and Saviour. She willingly submitted herself to His will, and completely trusted HIS WORD! Her humble and godly life of faith pleased God so much, that she was the one chosen for the most important task—to carry, bring forth, and raise the Son of God. Mary's blessing brought her both great joy and much suffering, for her Son would be rejected and crucified. This, she would find out later through Simeon at the baby's dedication—“Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (2:34,35) What a vision!
You see, “God's Vision” has become “Mary's Vision,” because she is one with the God of the Universe. She merits our respect and honor, but Jesus is the only one that deserves our Worship and Praise!! Both Matthew 1 and Luke 1 state explicitly that Jesus was born of a virgin—a miraculous deed of God, and therefore, absolutely free from the taint of sin! Because she sought the Lord every day, she had GOD'S VISION AND WILL in her life. She was very much open to seeing her own life, and how it fit into the over-all plan of God, that she saw things as God saw them. She was the humble and willing vessel God wanted. She had seen her own need for God, and did not exalt herself above others! Remember what all had been revealed in the vision:
“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”
And her response? “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” God can use that kind of vessel. When we seek His will and His word, we see with His vision!
~ Nancy Faust
