Call Me Blessed

Mary was probably just doing chores, maybe sweeping the floor, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her.

Now, to have an angel show up is an awesome thing. But to have Gabriel visit you is even more awesome, because Gabriel is a high-ranking angel that we read about in both the Old and New Testaments. If Gabriel shows up, then something big is about to go down.

Gabriel told Mary, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:31–32 NLT).

She might have said, “Well, it’s about time that someone noticed my godly lifestyle and singled me out!”

But Mary didn’t say that at all. She honestly was surprised that God selected her.

Later she offered the Magnificat, or the psalm of Mary: “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me” (verses 46–49 NLT).

Yet Mary knew what would happen. After all, she lived in Nazareth, a city known for immorality. She knew she would have to live with the reputation of a girl who gets around town, so to speak. And that’s a hard thing to bear when, in fact, you’ve lived a life that is the very opposite.

Mary knew she would have to live that way for the rest of her life, but she obeyed and magnified God. She gave God the glory.