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Absolute Comfort

Gabriel showed Mary in Nazareth the same as He shows us continually through the books of the Bible. His Word is confirmed by His Word.

God says again through the voice of His angel:

• Mary, though has found favor with the Lord.
• Mary, you are highly favored.

God’s Word Confirmed

Here is a good place to note that anytime you wonder if something is biblical (and, please DO wonder, often!) you can always confirm one part of Scripture with another. So, when you hear something someone is presenting as God’s truth, and you aren’t sure it is truth, start turning the pates in your Bible to prove it true with other Scripture. It is not a bad thing, and it truly is a good thing, to want to know for yourself what God’s very word says. And in case you missed the recommendation prior, www.blueletterbible.com is a wonderful resource of study.

Gabriel and Mary

Back to Gabriel and Mary. Not only is God confirming His Word to Mary, by doing so He is comforting her. Mary is exceedingly troubled and her thoughts battle hard with her heart here, but God repeats His Word to her.

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

2 Corinthians 1:3

This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life.

Psalm 119:50

Mary did you…?

Mary, soon to give birth to the Lord Jesus Christ. Mary, raising her flesh and blood, The King of Glory embodied. Mary, the mother, wife, sister, cousin, friend…what are the odds she had opportunity in her own life after Christs’ birth to comfort others with the very comfort of God’s Word as she has received here in Luke?

My youngest was about two years old. You know two year olds? The very breath they’re taking next is subject to a complete emotional fallout and without good reason or warning.

Where was his blanket?

It was nearing bed time. This one was a dream to put to bed, as long as we were home. He’d grab his little blue bear in one hand and his silky blanket of the same color dragging the floor in the other. Then, in as slow motion as he knew, he’d scurry up the stairs saying, “I go nigh-nigh now.” He knew we’d be one step behind him. This particular night, however, there was a missing element. Where was his blanket? Never a thumb-sucker, he’d swish his first two fingers with great furry feeling the softness of his treasured blank between and he would actually suck his own tongue. Don’t ask me how, but it was his nightly lullaby. Except for this night. We look EVERYWHERE, we thought, to no avail and the longest night of his life to date was getting ready to sing its song, all. night. long. Imagine our frustration and excitement when he toddled his footed-pj self into our loft and straight to the smallest nesting box in the corner of the room, opened it up and squealed as he pulled every inch of his beloved piece of comfort.

Comfort & Pride

Humans have a really bad habit when it comes to comfort. We spend our lives search for, even settling on many things tangible and intangible alike: relationships, material “stuff”, drugs or alcohol, even good things like exercise, or some semblance of control like neat & tidy or list making & checking ..and a myriad of others. You may find it strange that I included control/checking off a list. But, for so many years (and I’ll still struggle with this one), I took so much pride (that’s a stage name for comfort) in having it all together. Stop and think about it. What’s your own vice of comfort? If you think you don’t have one, what makes you unravel? You might see it there if you look twice.

Comfort & Praise

Ever wonder why (biblical) praise songs are comforting to us? Blessed be Thy Name, The Lord is my Shepherd, My All in All, Your Grace is Enough, Amazing Grace, many others and the one I’m listening to right now, Silent Night. They are comforting to us, not because of their tune or music, but because they confirm the Word of God to our hearts. God’s Word of assurance comforts us!

Absolute Comfort

Mary was embarking on a really big life change, one which could have disastrous consequences in her culture. Humanly speaking, there was a very long list of things to be considered, most-if not all- leaving a larger than life size question mark next to them.

What are you facing today? (Caution, do not compare your own circumstance with anything I’m about to say-God has you where you are to do His will in your life exactly how He wants to.).

My new friend, a struggling and very sweet God loving friend I met on Facebook, (I so love how I’ve made treasured friends in this way.) found her self in dire straits a few months ago, and then when she was trying to keep her head above water, out of the blue she ends up losing one of her legs. Her life changed in a huge way, one of which I can’t even come close to understanding.

I taught school with an amazing Christian woman and friend, the picture of every other cheerleader’s wannabe. Bubbly, joyful, spirited: her smile lit up the room. Her life’s story isn’t so beautiful except for the part where she remains faithful to the Lord, loving and following Him through it all. About a year ago we praised the Lord for miraculous answers to prayers because the tumor wrapped around part of her spine wasn’t cancer after all. My cheerleader friend at just 53 years old can no longer walk on her own.

First year out of college led me to a great friend and roommate as we two poor girls tried to make ends meet on a Christian School teacher’s salary. She stood with me a few months later as I married the school’s Bible teacher and church Youth Pastor. Over the years we learned just how much we have in common. She moved away and married a few years later, I guess that was about 30 years ago. Very recently we were praying for her husband’s health that left the doctors scratching their heads day after day. Sickly as he’s been, he always came back home, until this time. This time, God took him to his heavenly home, and my friend went home alone.

Comfort & Joy

Friends, whatever you’re facing today that is just as hard for you as the valleys my friends find themselves trodding in are for them, you need absolute comfort, and that only comes from the Lord. Don’t deny Him!

I am severely afflicted, O LORD; revive me through Your word.

Psalm 119:07

It still brings me comfort, and joy through unrelenting pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

Job 6:10

I beg you, turn to Him. If you don’t know Him, tell Him you want to know Him: His birth on earth was the beginning of a life that really does change our lives in big ways! Open up the book of John and read about how much He loves you, so much so that he died for you. If you have a hard time talking to Him because you’re angry, please know this broken sinful world hurts us, and He’s angry about it, too. Trust Him. Try Him. Talk to a faithful friend. Pray. Reach out to me if you want to. Just know, in every hard circumstance of life, in every affliction, God’s comfort is for having. It’s the ONLY comfort that will soothe your soul.

Listen HERE or HERE

Angel’s Assurance

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Luke 1:30

We are not told how many times God sent Gabriel to people, but we know he was the angel who appears before both Zachariah and Mary. What we do know is the same two words often followed an angel’s appearance, “Fear not.” Isn’t it amazing? God sent a message and an assurance of His word when He showed up. He still does!

Fear Not

When God sent His message in a way that was divinely out of the ordinary to the people He loved, He first consoles their very real fears. He made them. He loved them. He comforted them. These three passages are worth a second look at this pattern: the angel appeared, shock and fear filled those who were the subject of God’s message, and the angel spoke, “Fear not.”

• Mary: Fear not…baby Jesus will come
• Working Shepherds: Fear not…Jesus has come, today a Savior is born!
• Women at the tomb: Fear not…Jesus is alive and He will come again!

Sister, Fear Not

What’s that thing God has been telling you? Maybe it’s something straight from God’s Word you’ve chosen to rationalize in your life. Or, maybe it’s more personal and something the Lord has been nudging your heart toward, but you’re afraid. No matter what the Lord is directing or convicting you toward, remember, He made you, He loves you, and He will comfort you. Fear not.

Found Favor

Gabriel comforts Mary with the same assurance of her position as already spoken atop of the same meeting. She had found favor with the Lord. It’s was worth repeating then, and it’s worth repeating now. You, when you met the Lord, found His favor, too

A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

Proverbs 12:2

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalms 5:12

God’s Word is as good today for the same purpose used by Gabriel when he came to Mary. If you need the comfort of the Lord in your life and heart, get into His Word. My son mentioned something regarding the character, the person of, God and how he wasn’t sure of Him in that way. My reply was much the same, get into His Word. If we want to know who God is, if we want more of His goodness in our lives, we need to spend time with Him and know Him more.

Chosen & Favored

We know Mary was no stranger to God coming from a Jewish family. We know Mary was highly favored by God, because that’s what Gabriel tells her (and us). But do you know what that means? Was Mary more special than any other woman and so God chose her for Jesus’ earthly mother, whereby dubbing her highly favored? Did Mary find favor in God’s sight because she obeyed Him and loved Him beyond those around her? What does highly favored mean here in Luke 1:28?

I’m about to leap off of my seat after asking the Lord to show me more, to learn more about highly favored. The Greek word for favored is translated, charitoo and I’ll do my best here with the phonetic pronucnciation

charitoo (ha lee toe’) You may see that root here for charis which is God’s grace.

Charitoo, twice

This word is used only twice in scripture. Usually, for me, I can do a word search and find the similarities and the thread of continuity, but I will be honest and tell you this one was a struggle. At the risk of being redundant, we will look at this verse again from which Gabriel reiterates Mary’s favor.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored…

Luke 1:28 (a)

And now, the only other verse where we see this word. It’s in Ephesians 1:6 but we need to see the more of the story so we will read beginning in the third verse.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6

I hope you’ll read this out of your own Bible, and go ahead and do some searching with God’s Word in your hands and heart-always, always. And right there where we can so easily pass it by is the reason I am over the moon with my God and Savior in this moment, and I bet Mary was too!

God Amazes Me

Verse six says this: To the praise and glory of His grace, wherein He hast made us ACCEPTED, charitoo’, ha lee toe’! Sisters, did you get it? Mary was chosen by God and she was highly favored because of GOD’s grace over her, by God not my something she had done. Why am I so humbly excited? Because that is ME TOO! I am chosen by God-from before the foundation of the world- and favored by Him unto His Beloved. I’m left in adoration and running out of words, but as my dear friend would say: OH MY STARS!

Don’t just sit there

I hope you don’t just sit there but you know who you are: chosen and favored by God! This IS Christmas, friends. It’s about Christ. It’s about Grace. It’s about Love. It’s about Mary being chosen and favored by God. It’s about Jesus in you, because you are chosen and favored.

Heaven came down over this girl today. Praise the Lord.

See you tomorrow!