Mary: Favored

“And having come in, the angel [Gabriel] said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one,

the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ ” (Luke 1:28

 From Gabriel’s message, we read that Mary was favored, but it was more than that - she was highly favored. But wait! It was even more significant than that! Mary was blessed among women from that moment and throughout eternity. Since this scene sets the tone for faith and favor for us, a closer examination is required.

Yes, Mary was favored. How do we know? We see it in God’s Word. When Gabriel appeared to Mary, His message of glad tidings was essentially this: “Mary you are the highly favored one - the Lord is with you; you are blessed among women.” Consider the magnitude of that statement because of all the available women, Mary was chosen for this most coveted call. From the language, we see that Mary was indued with “special honor.” After all, only one woman could birth Jesus, and God chose Mary before the foundation of the world. In hindsight, we see that Mary was from the right bloodline, had moral and physical purity, hailed from Nazareth, and was engaged to Joseph - a carpenter from King David’s lineage. She was perfect for the job, even though she was unaware of her exceptional credentials. How perfect?  Enough that the crucial things about Mary’s life fulfilled the prophecies. But most importantly, before her call, Mary knew God and believed His Word. Why? Because it was God’s plan, and God was with her. Subsequently, Mary found favor with God. 

So what of favor? What can we say about it other than the obvious? Favor is God’s gift. Charis is the Greek word, and in this context, the emphasis is on God’s kindness and goodwill toward Mary. We can’t fabricate favor or work it up within ourselves. It’s a means of divine grace that we can’t earn. Instead, it’s God’s pleasure to bestow His good favor on us. Not because of us, mind you, but because of His great love for us. Lest we forget - God is love! Generally speaking, being favored means someone has their eye on you - you are a person of interest. As it has been from the beginning, the eye of God is on us, as it was on Mary. We are the pinnacle of God’s creation, His most remarkable work, His imagers, and the apple of God’s eye. Take notice that His favor is associated with an accompanying burden of responsibility on our part. In case you didn’t know it, that’s obedience and follow-through.  

Although human favor can’t compare with God’s, we must review it to see that God’s favor comes with an accompaniment - divine power to guide our success.  In contrast, human favor can be frustrating, guilt-laden, and burdensome. I’ve known it. My siblings said that I was my mother’s favorite because she blessed me with the best of everything. What they failed to see, however, was the burden of her high expectations. Because of her watching, sometimes it didn’t feel much like favor. Instead, I sensed constant pressure, and I pushed myself to achieve. Although I feared failing, and strived for success, I sometimes failed. So for me, favor was never easy. But watch closely: My burden was not from God. How do I know? Where He guides, He provides. When God calls, He sets us up for the win, because He prepares the way.  And unlike humans, He never expects success beyond the grace we’ve received. Jesus said, “…My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Indeed, Jesus confirms that God’s burden is easy, and His yoke is light. So watch closely. When God chose Mary, He graced her with profound favor and equipped her for success. Then He recorded the process in scripture for all to see. From that moment and throughout eternity, all peoples will know that Mary was highly favored and blessed among women.

Did Mary know she was highly favored? Of course not. At the time of Gabriel’s visitation, Mary had not idea she was chosen. I see something exciting in her response, though, and more than likely, it’s what God saw: her heart. And as Jesus said, our hearts tell our story. Here’s His proclamation: “...out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (See Luke 6:45.) Before her call, Mary had incredible faith in God’s promises. What had He promised? A savior! God had promised that a deliverer would come! 

When Mary said yes to God, she didn’t shrink back. She simply followed her heart and responded from its wealth, and did so without fear of man or repercussions. Did you catch that? Her heartfelt yes changed the course of history and prepared the way for our faith, too. How did she answer Gabriel? “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). So, as we can see, Mary believed Gabriel’s promise, which was: “For with God, nothing will be impossible.” It seems that Mary considered Gabriel’s message based on God’s character and in light of what she knew of the prophets’ teaching. Should we not also? For a savior to come, someone must birth Him. So with simple faith, Mary’s heart pondered, “Yes, Lord, why not me?” And we should agree and respond as hopefully!

What’s the takeaway? Mary was not favored on account of anything she had done. We don’t believe for what we can gain from God. We do so because He woos us to faith - He loves us there! Even the faith to believe comes from God; it, too, is a gift of grace. He guides the entire process, and salvation from start to finish belongs to Him. But there was something more in our story. Gabriel unveiled the nature of Mary’s unique honor and favor. What was it? God was with Mary. But as incredible as that is, with His favor came expectation. What was it? That God had chosen well, that Mary was right for the call, and that she would honor God through it all. Here we see the human element through her participation in her obedience and follow through. Indeed, Mary would yield to God and allow Him to fill her completely. As in, “Whatever you say, Lord, my life is not my own; I yield it to you. Let it be to me according to your Word.”

Ladies, are we not equally favored and endowed with the same means of grace and divine favor as Mary? Of course, we are! Through Mary’s believing faith, we believe, have God with us, and enjoy divine favor, too. Like Mary, we must yield our lives to Him - minds, bodies, spirits, and souls!

Prayer: Mighty and gracious Lord, help us yield when you call. May we sense your presence and yield to it fully as Mary did. Give us humility, pure hearts, clean hands, and immovable faith like Mary’s. To your glory, may we bear great fruit! Thank you, Jesus. Amen and amen.