December Devotions and Doodles – Day 6 (December 6)
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. 30 Then the angel told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”
35 The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
December 6 Devotional: Finding Favor
Gabriel is really busy during the first chapter of Luke. Yesterday, we read about his message from God to Zechariah. Today, He appears to Mary, with another message from God.
Gabriel’s Message
This time He doesn’t start with “Do not be afraid”, but stick around – it’s coming up next. 🙂 He starts by calling Mary a “Favored Woman” and telling her that the Lord is with her.
I can just picture this. A large man, a messenger from Heaven with a presence about him because he has come from the presence of God, suddenly appears and says to me, “Favored woman, the Lord is with you!” I’m thinking…craaaaazzzzzy! Right?!?
Settling a Troubled Heart
I would have probably thought Gabriel was a freak and tried to get away. Mary responds better than I would have, but the greeting still troubles her. She doesn’t speak rashly. She doesn’t shut down. But she doesn’t understand the greeting and it concerns her.
Here it is…Gabriel comes in with His familiar line, “Do not be afraid!”
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
You Have Found Favor with God
Webster’s dictionary defines “favor” as “approving consideration or attention.”
God looks on Mary with approving consideration or attention. Imagine being singled out by the Creator of the universe. He notices a young girl out of all the people in the world. He is paying attention to her and approves of her so much that He decides that she is the uniquely suited to be His own Son’s mother. Wow!
Mary Seeks Understanding
Mary doesn’t respond with disbelief, but she does not understand how it will work.
Gabriel calmly explains what will happen:
35 The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Nothing is Impossible
“Nothing is impossible with God” – Mary could not understand how God’s plan would work in her life, but God had a way!
So many times in our lives we can’t see a path that makes the plan of God come to fruition in our lives…but nothing is impossible with God.
How Should We Respond?
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.”
I pray that I will respond like Mary. No wonder she found favor with God! Gabriel springs this incredible message on her and she basically says, “Whatever God wants, I want.”
December 6 – Action Step:
Following Christ means setting aside our own will to do the will of God. Mary is an amazing example of this! Humiliation, shunning, isolation, and ruin was what lay ahead of an unmarried pregnant woman in her culture. Her fiance Joseph could have called for her to be put to death, or at the very least divorce her, leaving her reputation in tatters and ruining her chances at ever marrying a respectable man.
Yet, she basically says, “I serve God! His will and not mine!”
Oh, that I would always respond like that! Today (December 6), let’s pray and ask God to reveal His will to us. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us respond like Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be done to me according to your will.” And then, let’s look for opportunities to help others and do God’s will!
Prayer:
Dear God, Show us Your will for us. Holy Spirit, help us to recognize God’s will for us and to be willing to do it. Let us see and act on the opportunities You bring to our lives today and everyday. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Drawing Tutorial – December 6: How to Draw Mary
- Draw a circle with an upper left flattened side.
- Start below the lower right side of the circle and draw a diagonal line up and to the right, round the corner to the left and form upward and then downward as pictured. Add a square bottom to the fabric headpiece and draw up to connect to the original circle.
- Time to draw the body – line down, small rounded section, then larger rounded section.
- Add an arm and hand.
- Finish off with hair and face.
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