"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.
A Heart of Devotion
Mary possessed a simple heart of devotion and child-like faith. Her life was a tapestry of prayer, purity, and humility. She never moved in miracles or spoke in Tongues. She just said yes to God and it changed her life forever.
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38 ESV)
If you want visitation and be radically overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, you need to possess a heart filled with child-like trusting-faith without worry, anxiety, or fear, and cry out, 'Lord, I want to be like Mary and help bring revival and the anointing of the Holy Spirit into the church!'
Mary went to a town in Judah and entered the house of her Uncle Zechariah and Aunt Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard the voice of Mary, her baby John (the Baptist) leaped in her womb, and at that moment, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and loudly exclaimed,
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." (Luke 1:39-45 ESV)
I'm sure Mary had been contemplating the ridicule, disdain, and rejection she would experience as an unwed single mother. Yet, she was so moved by the goodness and grace of God that she sang a prayerful song of thanksgiving and praise.
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." (Luke 1:46-55 ESV)
Mary declared that she was a "servant" (Gk: doulé), which meant a female slave of God and needed a Savior from sin because all humans are helpless and hopeless and need the penalty for their sin paid in full to find redemption (Luke 1:46-48; Colossians 1:12-14). She removed any idea of pre-eminence so as not to assume exaltation above God's calling upon her life (Luke 1:48). Jesus never referred to Mary as His natural mother (Gk: 'meter') but called her "woman" (Gk: guné = a woman of any age and also used regarding a step-mother) (Matthew 12:47-50; John 19:26; 1 Corinthians 5:1).
There is a price behind the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Being used by God to help give birth to revival can bring rejection and ridicule. Are you willing to be a selfless vessel of God's anointing and power today?
Spiritual Warfare
"Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men." (Matthew 2:16 ESV)
Mary wasn't the only one having visitations. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, "an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod" (Matthew 2:13-15 ESV).
The mighty King Herod was so threatened by an unassuming baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and tucked in a manger in Bethlehem that He wanted every male child killed. This was the beginning of great Spiritual Warfare because when Jesus was born, the Kingdom of God invaded Earth. It was a supernatural confrontation between the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of Hell. The enemy wanted to kill Jesus before He would fulfill the will of the Father. Even today, the enemy wants you dead because you have the Kingdom of God within you (Luke 17:21).
The enemy always goes after a move of God in its infancy because that is when it is most vulnerable. The greater the call on your life, the greater the spiritual warfare. However, Just as God gave Joseph and Mary divine strategies to evade Herod, so will He give you divine strategies and direction to fulfill His purposes and evade the onslaught of the enemy.
Just as the enemy wants to abort babies, he wants to abort the birthing of your prophetic promises from God to birth revival and renewal. This, in turn, always brings shaking in every arena of our lives – relationships, jobs, ministries, and anything dear to your heart.
When the Holy Spirit is stirring up revival to be birthed within you, the hoards of Hell will use anyone, and do everything they can, to pierce your heart with firey darts from Hell and try to put to death your prophetic calling from God and to keep you from experiencing greater intimacy with Jesus.
Never be discouraged when spiritual warfare is intense. That is why were are to put on the Armor of God daily (Ephesians 6:10-20). The enemy doesn't waste his time on the fence sitters who want to taste the heavenly gifts but don't give their lives wholly to Jesus (Hebrews 6:4). Radical abandonment to Jesus makes the enemy nervous because he considers you a threat to his plans.
The Wilderness
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." (ESV)
"But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19 ESV)
God could have removed Herod and let Joseph and Mary avoid the wilderness of pagan Egypt, which was the land of bondage for the Jews, but He did not. Mary and Joseph had received prophetic words about their child who would be the king of the Jews, yet they were seemingly banished to suffer in the very land the Jews were delivered from!
Just as Joseph and Mary didn't realize that the prophetic timetable for fulfilling Jesus' destiny would last thirty years, we often struggle with God's prophetic timetable. You will spend time in the wilderness where there will be seasons of barrenness. Are you willing to wait on the Lord's timing?
Before Jesus began His ministry, He went to the river Jordan to be baptized. As the Holy Spirit descended on Him, the Father said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22). THEN, the Father led Him into the wilderness! Too often, desert experiences are considered punishment because of disobedience or personal sin. Yet the Father sent Jesus into the desert because He was PLEASED with Him! Sometimes He will do the same because He is also pleased with you!
Jesus went 40 days without food for His flesh, but He was satisfied with "living water" to drink. He spent time in the desert in deep communion with the Father in preparation for His ministry. In the wilderness, one finds that the true food that nourishes and satisfies the soul is the Word and His promises.
Periods spent in the wilderness are to bring a person to a deeper reliance and trust in Jesus because there are no distractions. A journey through the wilderness may be for 40 days or 40 years! God wants you there because it is a place where deep romance - a holy honeymoon - exists between bride and Groom;
"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:14 NIV)
The nourishment and strength for preparation always come in the desert. While exiled to the prison island of Patmos, John the Beloved received His revelation. Revelation always comes in exile. When Jesus releases a person from the wilderness, they will be filled to minister with the power of the resurrection and the might of His majesty. Finally, after years in Egypt, God spoke to Joseph again in a dream. Herod was dead, and they could return home.
Do you feel stuck in the monotony of ordinary life and wonder if the Lord has forgotten you or removed His favor because of something you thought or did? Mary had thirty years of obscurity to develop a secret history with God. You also have an appointed time to build family, community, and greater intimacy with Jesus. During that time, you may feel like a caged animal pacing back and forth crying, " Lord, what is taking so long?" Seasons of preparation are essential because they are the times when God works with patience and injects you with passion and deep devotion to Him.
Clouds of Darkness
Where God dwells, "Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne" (Psalm 97:2 NKJV). The prophet Ezekiel described the glory as coming from within a storm "from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire" (Ezekiel 1:4 NIV).
When a person finds clouds of darkness forming over them amid a storm, they shouldn't be dismayed, but rather, they should rejoice for they are nearing "the secret place of the Most High" (Psalm 91:1 KJV).
The storms of life that twist and turn through the wilderness will lead a person to the secret place of intimacy with Him so that they can behold His beauty. God will draw near, and His glory will completely overwhelm them, just as the priests who "could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD" (1 Kings 8:10-11 NKJV).
Do you want to be radically overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and impregnated with His purposes and anointing, no matter what the cost or others may think? If so, then pray this prayer with me:
Lord Jesus, 'let it be to me according to your word!' Give me wisdom and strategies to evade the enemy and patience to await the fulfillment of prophetic promises in my life. Help me follow Your lead and teach me to fight the battles You have called me to. I am willing to spend time in the wilderness to learn from you. Help me to know when to withdraw and when to fight. I want to be so hidden in You that I am invisible to the enemy.'
