In Luke 1:36-38, the angel Gabriel ended his message by
giving Mary a word of encouragement. He told Mary that her aged relative
Elizabeth was with child, proving that "with God nothing shall be
impossible." God gave a similar word to Abraham when He announced the
birth of Isaac (Genesis 18:14). That our God can do anything is the witness of
many, including Job (Job 42:2), Jeremiah (Jer. 32:17), and even our Lord Jesus
(Matt. 19:26).
Mary's believing response was to surrender herself to God
as His willing servant. She experienced the grace of God (Luke 1:30) and
believed the Word of God, and therefore she could be used by the Spirit to
accomplish the will of God. A "handmaid" was the lowest kind of
female servant, which shows how much Mary trusted God. She belonged totally to
the Lord, body (Luke 1:38), soul (Luke 1:46), and spirit (Luke 1:47). What an
example for us to follow! (Romans 12:1-2)
Now in Luke 1:39-56, we find that “Joy” is the major theme
of this section as we see three persons rejoicing in the Lord. Now that Mary
knew she was to become a mother, and that her kinswoman Elizabeth would give
birth in three months, she wanted to see Elizabeth so they could rejoice
together.
First, we see the joy of Elizabeth (vv. 39-45). As Mary
entered the house, Elizabeth heard her greeting, was filled with the Spirit,
and was told by the Lord why Mary was there. The one word that filled her lips
was "blessed." Note that she did not say that Mary was blessed above
women but among women, and certainly this is true. While we don't want to
ascribe to Mary that which only belongs to God, neither do we want to minimize
her place in the plan of God.
The thing that Elizabeth emphasized was Mary's faith: "Blessed
is she that believed" (Luke 1:45). We are saved "by grace ...
through faith" (Eph. 2:8-9). Because Mary believed the Word of God,
she experienced the power of God.
Today we live in a world where we are being overwhelmed
with information, most of which is very discouraging. On top of that, we are being
broken apart by our own personal problems in our families, our workplaces, our
finances, and our relationships. We need a major input of “Good News”! Like
Mary we need to be assured that we have a God that gives us wonderful promises
and then has the power to keep them.
I want to recommend a small devotional book by Charles
Spurgeon called “Faith’s Checkbook”. Charles H. Spurgeon supplies daily
deposits of God's promises into the reader's personal bank of faith. He urges
the reader to view each Bible promise as a check written by God, which can be
cashed by personally endorsing it and receiving the gift it represents! He
reminds us of 365 promises God made to us that He will fulfill if we only by
faith believer!
My friend, happiness is based on present circumstances or “happenings”
in our lives. Genuine joy is based on an awareness of the presence of the Lord through
the working of the Holy Spirit applying God’s Word and His Truth in our minds
and hearts.
These verses assure us that we can have the same joy Jesus
had! John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain
in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 16:24, “Until now you have
asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
John 17:13, “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world,
that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”
God bless!
