Reasons Mary Found Favor with God
Luke 1:30, 35-38 NKJ
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible."
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
The first chapter of Luke is full of good stuff. Luke was a physician and a Gentile. Bible scholars believe he wrote to those who were not from Jewish backgrounds. He presented Jesus as the Savior of mankind. He wrote in greater detail about women than the other gospel authors. He directed the gospel to what many believe was a high-ranking Roman official, Theophilus—a man who may have been a cultured Greek-speaking person within the Roman Empire. While Matthew assumes the reader knows of Jewish customs and beliefs, Luke does not and avoids technical Jewish terms.
In this first chapter, Luke describes the angel Gabriel appearing to two people. The first is Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. The second being Mary, the mother of Jesus. Gabriel has two very different experiences with these people. Zacharias pushes back on the miracle of having a child in old age. Mary is different.
When the angel appears to Mary, he tells her she has found favor with God. This would indicate that Mary lived in a way that honored God. When the angel Gabriel tells her she is going to have a child, she does not balk but merely asks how this is going to happen. Not if it's going to happen. And Mary, being a virgin, had a legitimate biological challenge. Gabriel's answer was missing a lot of detail, but it was all Mary needed.
The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. That could sound a bit scary at first blush. Then Gabriel informs Mary about her cousin Elizabeth being in her sixth month. Elizabeth used to be called barren, but not anymore. With God, all things are possible.
Mary's response shows us what kind of woman she was. She did not question Gabriel as to why her. She did not ask any questions, such as how will Joseph handle this? Or what will my family say? She did not ask Gabriel to circle back to the part about the Holy Spirit and God's power overshadowing her. She simply believed what was told her and declared that to the angel. Mary identified with being a maidservant of the Lord and declared, "Let it be to me according to your word." Basically, Mary was saying, "Okay, I am all in."
Later, Mary's cousin Elizabeth would speak out when meeting Mary, "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." (Luke 1:45) NLT. There were reasons Mary found favor with God.
Application
I was not raised to revere Mary, but I have an appreciation for what she did. Her courage and faith in believing in the face of possible loss is inspiring. There was a reason that God chose her to carry and help raise His Son. Jesus grew up in a household where God was honored and trusted.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for Mary's example of faith and courage. May it be to me according to Your word!