A Season of WaitingSample

The Lord is With You

It is in these understated verses in Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth that we are first introduced to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Here, we are given important information, each word chosen with intention, connecting the dots of thousands of years of Messianic prophecy, the evidence is building – the Messiah is coming.

Verse 28 records the moment God’s messenger angel, Gabriel, first talks to Mary. He says, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ We will explore Mary’s powerful response to this encounter later in this Advent series, for now, let’s look at these few words. These are the very first words God chose to say to Mary before her entire world was turned upside down.

Before anything else unfolded, Mary was told two powerful truths. The first was that she was chosen by God, and the second was that God Himself was with her every step of the way. God knew that these simple, yet powerful truths would give strength and encouragement to Mary for all that was to come and, in His kindness, He made sure she knew them.

When you find yourself facing challenging – even life-altering – times ahead, remember that the first words God gave to Mary were reminding her she was not facing it alone. Nor are we.

Written by Lucy Weil