By Sondra L. Lewis
"And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored [one], the Lord [is] with you; blessed [are] you among women! But when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS…"—Luke 1:28-30
Do you recall the moment in which you received the revelation that you were “Chosen”? Oh, an angel may not have visited you, nor did you hear a trumpet sound or get a prophetic word. You may have been in prayer, sideswiped by trouble and at a point where situations and circumstances knocked you to your knees. Or, you may have been on your way to work, or doing some menial task such as washing dishes or folding laundry. Yet, the Spirit of the Lord spoke an innate word into your spirit that resonated enlightenment beyond yourself. Suddenly, you knew something about yourself that you never knew before. “Rejoice, highly favored (your name here), The Lord is with you;”
“My sheep know my voice and they follow me” John 10:27. When the Spirit of the Lord speaks, there is no doubt who it is. Something in our spirit exudes the confidence and the audacity to believe that we really are called to something and someone greater than ourselves. And the Master of this universe (the one who orchestrates the symphonies of rushing winds to gentle breezes, who paints the sky a new every day and has never duplicated the same design) has reached out of eternity into time and designated a moment just for you. And we (at that moment) feel empowered to accomplish the impossible, to believe the unbelievable and conquer the unconquerable mountains in our lives. Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
“But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was”. Here is a young girl with her whole life (as she knows it) ahead of her. She is engaged to be married, she is greeted by the angel Gabriel, and he speaks a word to her that she is “highly favored…” I have seen women who have had a word of prophesy spoken over them in church services that afterward began to behave like spiritual “Diva’s”. However, hearing this good news “troubled” Mary to the point that she had to ponder what it meant. Then to be told she would conceive a child and she was a virgin, provoked fear in her. This was a time when it was dangerous to be pregnant, unmarried and to be pregnant by someone other than the one you were betrothed to. This could cost her life. What does it really mean to be Chosen? And how do really know that you are?
Being chosen brings with it expectancy, opposition, contradiction, isolation, and finally fruition. Earlier in this chapter, we read that Mary’s older cousin Elizabeth was also carrying a child. She was (as indicated in vrs.7) barren and stricken in years. When she found out she was expecting a child in her old age, she hid herself saying “Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on [me], to take away my reproach among men.” Vs.25 Do you feel as though your time has passed? Have you been told “you can’t do this or that” because you’re too old or your? Well, God has put something down on the inside of you. And like Elizabeth, it may seem dormant, but when his Spirit bears witness with yours, it will cause the gift to become “alive”. Are you preparing now for the encounter? You should be. No pregnant woman waits until the baby is born to start getting ready. She starts preparing right away.
Although it may not seem like the right time; issues over here, trouble over there and “this couldn’t have happened at a worse time” situation, this is just the right time for God to do what he wants to do in you. He had to let you get “self” out of the way for you to realize this is not by power, nor by might but by His Spirit. This next thing he is birthing out of you, will amaze you! Unlike the clamor you are hearing, this couldn’t have happened at a better time than now! Get ready to receive it!
“My sheep know my voice and they follow me” John 10:27. When the Spirit of the Lord speaks, there is no doubt who it is. Something in our spirit exudes the confidence and the audacity to believe that we really are called to something and someone greater than ourselves. And the Master of this universe (the one who orchestrates the symphonies of rushing winds to gentle breezes, who paints the sky a new every day and has never duplicated the same design) has reached out of eternity into time and designated a moment just for you. And we (at that moment) feel empowered to accomplish the impossible, to believe the unbelievable and conquer the unconquerable mountains in our lives. Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
“But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was”. Here is a young girl with her whole life (as she knows it) ahead of her. She is engaged to be married, she is greeted by the angel Gabriel, and he speaks a word to her that she is “highly favored…” I have seen women who have had a word of prophesy spoken over them in church services that afterward began to behave like spiritual “Diva’s”. However, hearing this good news “troubled” Mary to the point that she had to ponder what it meant. Then to be told she would conceive a child and she was a virgin, provoked fear in her. This was a time when it was dangerous to be pregnant, unmarried and to be pregnant by someone other than the one you were betrothed to. This could cost her life. What does it really mean to be Chosen? And how do really know that you are?
Being chosen brings with it expectancy, opposition, contradiction, isolation, and finally fruition. Earlier in this chapter, we read that Mary’s older cousin Elizabeth was also carrying a child. She was (as indicated in vrs.7) barren and stricken in years. When she found out she was expecting a child in her old age, she hid herself saying “Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on [me], to take away my reproach among men.” Vs.25 Do you feel as though your time has passed? Have you been told “you can’t do this or that” because you’re too old or your? Well, God has put something down on the inside of you. And like Elizabeth, it may seem dormant, but when his Spirit bears witness with yours, it will cause the gift to become “alive”. Are you preparing now for the encounter? You should be. No pregnant woman waits until the baby is born to start getting ready. She starts preparing right away.
Although it may not seem like the right time; issues over here, trouble over there and “this couldn’t have happened at a worse time” situation, this is just the right time for God to do what he wants to do in you. He had to let you get “self” out of the way for you to realize this is not by power, nor by might but by His Spirit. This next thing he is birthing out of you, will amaze you! Unlike the clamor you are hearing, this couldn’t have happened at a better time than now! Get ready to receive it!
