Having the Favor of God

Luke 1:24-38 

25  “The Lord has done this for me,” she [Elizabeth] said.  “In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

28  The angel went to her [Mary] and said, ”Greetings you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.”

29  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

30  but the angel said to her, “do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

36  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.

37  For no word from God will ever fail.”

38  “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”  Then the angel left her.

Few people recorded in the Bible have a true abiding relationship with their Creator.  Not many enjoyed the Lord’s favor. Abraham was titled the father of faith (Heb. 11:8-12, 17-19).  Moses saw the face of God and lived, and God spoke to him as a friend! (Ex. 33:9-17) David was said to be a man after God’s own heart (Ps. 51:10, 17).  Daniel was considered highly esteemed by God (Dan. 10:11).

For a long time, Elizabeth must had felt that God passed His favor over her and bore the shame from the community, even though she was righteous and followed all the Lord’s commands (Luke 1:5-7).  Now, Elizabeth was ranked with the holy women of the past—Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah—by conceiving a son by the hand of God destined to be greatly used by God.  God did favor Elizabeth, but he did so in His time and in His way (Is. 55:9). 

Mary now had the distinction of being the only mother in human history to give birth through a truly supernatural phenomenon to the Savior of the world!    The Lord has chosen her for this awesome spiritual responsibility.  She humbly accepted her unique calling and bore all the joys and burdens that came with it.  If she did not have a close relationship with the Lord or have a deep knowledge of His Word and His ways, she could not have lived through the weight of Simeon’s prophecy (Luke 2:34), the wonder of Jesus’ future ministry starting at age 12 (Luke 2:45-52), the miracle at Cana (John 2:1-12) and all the other miracles that followed, the horror of seeing her son nailed on the cruel cross (John 19:25-27), the shock and unspeakable joy of His resurrection and His ascension (John 20:19-20. Luke 24:50-53), and finally the founding of the first Christian church in Jerusalem (Acts 1:12-14).  What a spiritual roller-coaster journey Mary must had traveled through!  This favor from God carried much sorrow and opposition from evil men, but through her humble obedience over many years, the world is blessed with a Savior, and countless many have found favor with God through His salvation.

Do we find favor with God?  What prevent us from being used by God in a great and mighty way?