Salutations and Affirmations
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Day 1: Meet Gabriel
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Day 2: Salutations and Affirmations
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women
Luke 1:28
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Mary was looking into the face of someone who was supernaturally God’s messenger and yet in the flesh able to have a conversation right there in the middle of her home in Nazareth. Gabriel’s words are God’s words. What did the angel tell Mary?
Greetings
I am the worse, though intentionally getting better and teaching my son the same, when it comes to just jumping right into whatever I have to say. Two of my brothers have shown me the importance of a greeting before I begin with my voice or my text. Instead of, “So you know…” I know, almost always, begin with a greeting, “Good afternoon, Hello, How are you,” or something along those lines. If you think it doesn’t make a difference, I’d challenge you to give it a whirl, because it really does. A greeting is important because it allows the recipient to adjust their mind to your presence. If you’re a mom, I bet you are certain of this in reverse. Think about it. Has your child ever come up to you while you were in the middle of something that had your mind otherwise occupied? What happens? You don’t hear what they’re telling you, even if it’s said with urgency (like everything is with one of my boys), you don’t hear them fully, do you? See how significant a greeting is? In Bible times, it was customary to greet someone fully before diving into the thought or message that was to follow. Gabriel exemplifies this here when he appears before Mary. I wonder what she was doing at the time? Was she outside walking to/from gathering water, was she in the kitchen cooking, what she praying? We don’t know, but I tend to wonder about the little things. Regardless, she sees Gabriel and he greets her, getting her full attention.
Affirmations
After greeting her, the angel continues:
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:28
- highly favored, position from God
- the Lord is with thee: position with God
- blessed among women: position with others
As Gabriel began speaking, Mary began fearing, but God knew Mary was human, and in the flesh her reaction would be fear. So He, her creator and one who loves her most, starts off by affirming who she is. Mary was favored by God, God was with her and she was blessed among women. Can you imagine? This verse reminds me of my oldest son’s favorite verse out of the same Gospel.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Luke 2:52
Blessed
It must matter to God how other’s see us, not because He wants our lives to portray vanity but because He wants our lives to characterize His son. Mary was blessed among women. This word, “blessed,” as used in Luke 1:28 occurs only one other time in scripture and both are ascribed to Mary. Yet, we see something amazing in scripture when we consider what God says of this young virgin appointed and chosen to be the mother of our Lord, and what He says of us, those who belong to Him.
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. For He CHOSE us in Him, BEFORE the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His FAVOR and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He FAVORED us with in the BELOVED
Ephesians 1:3-8
Now, straighten up your crown
I can’t go on without first admitting I have a hard time swallowing this very statement I just used. You’ve probably seen the same meme/quote as have I, “Straighten your crown.” Just why I don’t love the sentiment is pretty complex, my deep thinking interrupts its obvious truth here, but I’m using it anyway. You see, we ARE favored and beloved, chosen and loved beyond our own comprehension by the same God who said these same words to Mary. So, next time you look in the mirror, next time you are in awe of this beloved and very important young woman out of Luke (as you should be), remember who Jesus says you are: chosen, beloved, favored.
Mirrors
My dear friend, with an AMAZING voice, serenaded her new husband at the wedding alter with a song that reflects so much of these truths. These things from the Lord are OF the Lord. If others see any favor in our lives, let it be because they see Jesus in us.
That’s a wrap for Day 2 in 25 Days with Mary, I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow.
