Mary Of Nazareth And Her Prophetic Journey With Jesus - Part 1- A Heart Of Devotion - Spiritual Warfare - The Wilderness - Clouds Of Darkness Series

"And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her." (Luke 1:38 ESV)

Our walk with God has days and seasons that are up and down, filled with challenges and blessings, favor and discipline, renewal, and spiritual warfare. The journey is a never-ending cycle until we leave this place to be with Jesus. There is never a dull and boring day with Him!

Today starts a two-part series about Mary, the person God chose to carry and give birth to the promised Messiah of Israel, the Savor of the World. The name 'Mary' comes from the Hebrew name 'Miryam' and is '?a??a/Maria/Mariam' in Greek. Mary is an amazing example of the daily walk of faith. Some churches place her in great esteem, even to the point of her having god-like qualities. Other churches speak very little about her until the Christmas season. She is often presented as a young, naïve teen girl who God chose to facilitate the Christmas story. This study reveals that Mary was on a prophetic journey with God her whole life, cloaked in mysteries unveiled over time.

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And 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 bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

"And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be borne will be called holy - the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her." (Luke 1:26-38 ESV)

Mary and Joseph were of the biological line of David (via Adam and Eve). It is important to note that Jesus denied being a descendant of David, meaning there was no biological lineage within His DNA to Mary or Joseph (Matthew 22:41-46; Luke 2:49).

The Greek word for "conceive"' used here is ‘sullambanoo’ which means to bring forth, to aid, assist, or help. The Greek word 'tithemi' is used elsewhere to denote naturally conceiving a child from the marriage bed (Romans 9:10). Mary "was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit" (Gk: 'en gaster echo" (womb/stomach) just as a surrogate mother aids and assists a childless woman by carrying her child (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:30-38). Mary, the created, would carry in her womb the Creator, her maker, who was to grow within her and be raised by her, nurtured by her, taught by her, and loved by her (Luke 1:30-38). Once Mary was pregnant, she made sacrifices in accordance and obedience to the Law God gave to Moses because of her sinful nature (Luke 2:21-24; see Leviticus 12:6,24).

Mary had a radical visitation when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. The name Gabriel (Heb: ‘gebere’ and ‘el’) means man of God. Some believe he is an Archangel because he gave Daniel insight and instruction and was sent to announce the great news about Jesus to Zechariah and Mary (Daniel 8:16, 9:21; Luke 1:19,26). Gabriel and Michael are the only Angels mentioned by name in the Bible. The title of Archangel indicates rule and authority over other Angels (Daniel 8:16-19, 9:20-23, 10:8-11:1, 12:1; Luke 1:19,26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7-9).

Can you imagine what that encounter was like for Mary, a simple teenage Jewish girl living in poverty, and what she was thinking at that moment? What did she have to offer anyone, especially Almighty God?

Gabriel's voice filled the room, and she was, at the very least, terrified, confused, and awestruck as she tried to figure out what was happening. Gabriel told her not to be afraid and said to her God was giving her His gracious kindness (Gk: 'charis'). Then, Gabriel blew her mind and said God would use her to carry Jesus, the promised Messiah! Mary would be the instrument God would use to usher in the Messianic Age and the fulfillment of all the 300+ Old Testament Messianic prophecies and the Law.