December 22 – Luke 1:26-38

December 22 – Luke 1:26-38

Jesus, our Savior King, we praise You for You are Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!!!! We thank You for You secure our peace! We fall before You in worship and adoration. Draw near to us, Lord of all.

Joy, joy, joy!!!!! It is the week of Joy! And I have very much been praying that your days leading up to today have been so full of joy! We have talked about really deep things this month, have we not? But those heavy things bring us joy!

There are a few phrases in this passage that stood out to me, two of which are ‘Oh favored one’ in verse 28 and ‘servant of the Lord’ in verse 38. How can these two connect? How can one be both favored and a servant? Well, the other phrase that stood out to me was, ‘according to Your will.’ Ohhhh, there it is, that is the connection!

Let’s look at these phrases a little more closely. The phrase ‘oh favored one’ is rooted in the Greek word ‘choris’, which means grace, kindness, and life. According to Strong’s, it means the kindness of a master to a servant, in other words, God toward His people. God, in His grace and kindness, lavishes that upon us, His servants. Mary was that; she lived a life that pleased God. She walked closely with Him and worshipped Him. We know so because He found favor with her, and she was willing to trust Him to do His will. She even calls herself a servant of the Lord, meaning one who worships God and submits to Him.

These phrases also tell me that because of her walk with God, we know that her priority, and her first, was God. She didn’t even consult Joseph. She just knew she had to do God’s will, whatever the cost. There was no, ‘Wait, but first I need to…’ or ‘What would Joseph think?!’ Does this remind anyone else of Luke 9:57-62? Here, there was just obedience. It was just her and God (and the angel Gabriel, of course!). There was no delay; her response of obedience was immediate. This is what it means to follow Jesus. To obey without delay. To submit to His will. To worship Him without abandon. To follow Him anywhere, no matter the cost.

I will leave this lesson here with a description of ‘choris’ from Strong’s. The “goodwill, loving- kindness, favour of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.”

May you go forth today knowing that the God of loving kindness and merciful kindness is the God who fills us with joy. So go, be filled with joy knowing that God’s great affection is lavished upon you.

My Verse: “And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; Let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

My Response: God, You may be our Father, but You are still our God. May we, like Mary, know exactly who You are. May we know without a doubt that You are the God who connects all the dots and whose promises are fulfilled every single time.

Further Reading: Luke 9:57-62

What’s next?

As the Spirit leads, share what He has laid on your heart in the comment section below. Then
join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.