Gabriel Visits The Unsuspecting Mary

Less than a year before the arrival of the Christ child, we see another visit from Gabriel and this time to an unsuspecting young girl. The angel must have been a commanding figure, as his appearance struck fear in the hearts of both Zacharias and Mary. But both times Gabriel tells them there is nothing to fear because he is on a mission from God Himself.

How jaw-dropping it must have been for Mary to hear such powerful words spoken about her from the lips of God’s angel. We can tell that she doesn’t think of herself in those terms because her only response is: But how?

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

Never before and never since has such a miracle taken place. Here was the promise of the Messiah once again, as Mary had heard the prophecies many times over, but this time she would be part of that story. God’s presence would be her present, as He would come in power and holiness to bring His Son to earth.

And what does Mary say? Does she question the Lord’s thought process? Does she roll her eyes and walk away? Does she cower in fear and make excuses? Does she tell Gabriel that she couldn’t possibly take on one more thing in her busy schedule - he knows she’s espoused, right? There’s just too much to do right now.

No. She answers with 14 of my favorite words in all of Scripture: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. Luke 1:38

Mary’s willing heart pleased God. He chose her to be the mother of His Son for a reason, and her heart attitude was part of that reason. Her humility and her faith in God’s perfect will were what drew Him to her in the first place. And because she loved God so much, she was ready, willing and able to be used when He wanted her.

During this Christmas season, let’s use the example of this young girl to prepare our own hearts for the coming of the Christ child. Let us offer our willing hearts to God so that we can be a vessel unto honor for our Lord. We will never carry the Son of God, but God has amazing plans for our lives, now and until Christ returns. Check your heart attitude today and tell God that you are ready to be used according to His word.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit
Read more