{"id":762,"date":"2022-12-21T12:51:30","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T12:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=762"},"modified":"2022-12-21T12:51:35","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T12:51:35","slug":"mary-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=762","title":{"rendered":"Mary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“. . . And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.\u201d Mary said to the angel, \u201cHow can this be, since I am a virgin?\u201d The angel answered and said to her, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.\u201d And Mary said, \u201cBehold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.\u201d And the angel departed from her.  (Luke 2:31-38, NASB)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctor Luke writes the account of Mary’s encounter with the archangel Gabriel.  This is the one time I can think of when an angel did not lead off with “Be not afraid.”  Instead, “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you.”  God’s servant continues, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”  (Luke 1:28, 30)  We continue with the portion above. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel tells Mary that she will give birth to a boy, whose name will be Jesus.  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  Can you imagine what was going through Mary’s mind?  She was most likely in her mid-teens, because that’s the age young ladies married then.  She, not being married, faced shame from the townspeople; from her family; and from her fiance, Joseph.  According to the Law of Moses, she faced possible death by stoning.  Mary wondered how she could be pregnant, since she was a virgin.  Gabriel told her that she would be visited by the Holy Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“The Annunciation,” by Salomon Koninck, 1655.\u00a0 Found at Wikipedia,\u00a0https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Annunciation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mary replied with the most impressive statement imaginable:  “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”  This is incredible!  Despite all that could happen to a young girl in her position, Mary gave herself up in total surrender to God’s will.  Oh, that I had that kind of faith! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

O Lord my God, please let me learn from Mary’s example.\u00a0 Please help me to see Your will, and then do it, no matter the consequences.\u00a0 If You are with me, then who could possibly stand against me?\u00a0 Please help me remember this.\u00a0 In the matchless name of Jesus I pray.\u00a0 Amen.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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