A Woman God has Blessed

"Mary said,
My soul gives glory to the Lord.
   My spirit delights in God my Savior.
He has taken note of me
   even though I am not important.
From now on all people will call me blessed.
   The Mighty One has done great things for me.
   His name is holy.


Luke 1:46-49 NIVR

This was expressed by a young woman, who went to stay with her relative for 3 months instead of with her parents.  There is no written record of her mother or father during this time. What did they think? Why are they left out of  this account?

Sure, an angel had appeared to her and told her she would become pregnant without ever interacting with a man.  But would you believe your 14 year old daughter if she told you this?

We are told of the reaction of her betrothed to this:

"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother, Mary and Joseph had promised to get married. But before they started to live together, it became clear that she was going to have a baby.  She became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Her husband, Joseph was a godly man.  He did not want to put her to shame in public. So he planned to divorce her quietly.
But as Joseph  was thinking about hsi an angel of the lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, 'Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.  The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. She is going to have a son.  You must give him the name, Jesus.  That is because he will save his people from their sins. "  Matthew 1:18-21 NIRV

If I were in these circumstances, would I be filled with praise over the goodness of God?

I think I would be stressed to death over the responsibility, the misunderstanding of those I loved, and the impossibility of the next 20 years...

I would not consider myself a woman  God has blessed.

What was it about Mary that led her to rejoice in God and Elizabeth, her relative to say, "You are a woman God has blessed. You have believed that what the Lord has said to you will be done."

One message that hits home to me in this is shown most clearly by the following passage:

   "How can this happen?' Mary asked the angel. "I am a virgin."
    The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come to you . The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God.  Your relative Elizabeth is old. And even she is going to have a child. People thought she could not have children.  But she has been pregnant for six months now.  Nothing is impossible with God."
   "I serve the Lord." Mary answered. "May it happen to me just as you said it would."
Luke 1:34-38 NIRV

God is speaking to me in this.

1.  Mary's very identity was about the Lord and not about herself. ( I am the servant of the Lord)

2. Anything truly good is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is not in me and never will be.  Only He can truly work. (Nothing is impossible with God) Therefore there is hope.

3. Mary's focus was on the Lord, who He is and what He wanted her to do.
All the painful misunderstandings and surmisings of those around her were not the determining factor. (May it happen to me just as you said it would)

This is very encouraging to me, because
1. I feel like my circumstances are just so hard. too hard . impossibly hard.
Her circumstances were not the determinant of her inner life with God but rather the other way around.

2. I can be a woman blessed by God even in a very hard place when I don't know exactly what is going to happen or how circumstances are going to work out.

3.  Mary's prayer of praise isn't about this is going to work out great for me, or wow, what I want is going to happen.  It was a prayer of belief that God is who he says he is and will do good even in what I feel is insurmountably hard.

Oh Lord,
Thank you for showing me yourself in these passages. Thank you for lifting my eyes and heart out of the box that I feel trapped in: my own inadequacies, failings, sufferings, as well as the desires for those I love that seem thwarted again and again.

I want to believe you, but I am scared to believe for specific occurrences and details.  Not scared that you cannot do this, but scared that in wanting these things so badly, I confuse what I want for what you are doing and assume it will be the way I long for.  It may not be the way I expect or think but I can always plant my heart on the rock of who you are.  You are good and you are always working good in ways I cannot perceive now.  You do not change and you are never intimidated or overwhelmed or thwarted in your plans.

Thank you for encouraging me that Mary believed who you are and that you were able to do whatever you said. That I can always believe you to be good and kind and able to break through any impossible barrier at any time.

Thank you that you didn't even include a lot of the suffering I think Mary must have gone through here because you are right, in the end it didn't even matter at all. It is now over and gone and even forgotten in a sense.

Thank you Lord for loving me and always shining through the dark clouds to show me yourself  No matter what happens, you are the same and will not change.

Praise you Lord for bringing me from fear to praise and joy.

I am a woman that God has Blessed.

Amen.

"Mary said,
My soul gives glory to the Lord.
   My spirit delights in God my Savior.
He has taken note of me
   even though I am not important.
From now on all people will call me blessed.
   The Mighty One has done great things for me.
   His name is holy.
He shows his mercy to those who have respect for him,
   from parent to child down through the years.
He has done mighty things with his arm.
   He has scattered those who are proud in their deepest thoughts.
He has filled those who are hungry with good things.
   But he has sent those who are rich away empty.
He has helped the people of Israel, who serve him.
  He has always remembered to be kind
to Abraham and his children down through the years.
  He has done it just as he said to our people of long ago.

Luke 1:46-55 NIVR