Luke Chapter 1 verse 28-31 The Passion Translation
Verse 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said “Grace to you, young woman, for the Lord is with you and so you are anointed with great favor.” Verse 29 Mary was deeply troubled over the words of the angel and bewildered over what this may mean for her. Verse 30 But the angel reassured her, saying, “Do not yield to your fear, Mary, for the Lord has found delight in you and has chosen to surprise you with a wonderful gift. Verse 31 You will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name him Jesus.
Verse 38 Then Mary responded saying, “This is amazing! I will be a Mother for the Lord! As his servant, I accept whatever he has for me. May everything you have told me come to pass.” And the angel left her.
I love how Mary responded to the Gabriel’s call.
Firstly, she was deeply troubled over the words of the angel and bewildered over what this might mean for her(Verse 29) Secondly, she wondered how this could happen as she was a virgin (Verse 34) Thirdly, when she found out how this was going to happen she was amazed and accepting of the angels words and expressed her faith, not her fear (Verse 38).
This was a big day for Mary!
Mary was faced with either responding with fear or faith. Angel Gabriel appeared to sense some fear in Mary but in verse 30, Gabriel encourages her not yield to her fear. In reading the account in Luke, Chapter 1, it doesn’t seem to take long for Mary to ditch her fear, align her measure of faith with the words of angel Gabriel and fully accept the prophesy.
What a beautiful pattern Mary has laid out for us when faced with such incredible news. Mary’s initial reaction to Gabriel’s words appeared to be unspoken in Verse 29. Mary appeared to ask Gabriel only one question! (Verse 34) That’s incredible faith. But its Mary’s response in Verse 38 (TPT) that stands out for our encouragement.
- This is amazing!
- I will be a mother for the Lord
- As His servant, I accept whatever he has for me
- May everything you have told me, come to pass
Mary responded to each part of the call, word for word, in faith and spoke faith into the situation, agreeing with and declaring what is to be! She acknowledges by faith that she will be a mother for the Lord, accepting what he has for her and believing by faith for everything he has spoken to her, to come to pass. But not only that. Right back at verse 28, Gabriel reassures her before he says anything else.
- He said Grace to you, young woman
- The Lord is with you
- So you are anointed with great favour!
As Christmas approaches, may I encourage you to see the faith of Mary through a fresh lens. We know the story well but how often do we see a spiritual pattern of how to respond to such incredible revelations? If we give God our faith, He can do something with that. The reverse is also true. If we yield to fear, where will that take us?
There is dunamis power in agreeing with and declaring the Word out loud. As you also agree with the fact that God has given you grace, that He is with you, that you are anointed, that you have great favour, nothing shall be impossible for you.
Luke 1, Verse 37 (TPT) Not one promise from God is empty of power, for nothing is impossible with God.
Is this a regular practice for you?
Where might your faith and indeed your life be, in a years time, if this became your default response?
