Living in Obscurity

Mary is the only woman who had Jesus both in her womb and in her heart.

She was living in Nazareth, a nowhere town in a nowhere place. Nazareth was known for its wickedness. In fact, when Philip invited Nathanael to see Jesus, Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46 NKJV).

Roman soldiers stopped in Nazareth on their way from one place to another. And more than one young girl living in the city ended up pregnant out of wedlock. Despite this immoral backdrop, Mary lived a godly life.

She wasn’t some princess; she was just an ordinary peasant girl. But God handpicked her to be the most privileged woman to ever walk the earth. God chose her to be the mother of the Messiah and sent the angel Gabriel to tell her.

Two angels stand out in Scripture: Michael and Gabriel. And when one of them shows up, you know something big is going down.

Gabriel said to Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28 NKJV). Loosely paraphrased, he was saying, “God has handpicked you to be the mother of the Messiah.”

Mary was surprised because she had true humility. In fact, the more spiritual you are, the more aware you’ll be of your own sinfulness. Later, in what is known as the Magnificat, Mary said, “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant” (Luke 1:47–48 NKJV).

Maybe you’ve thought, “I’m living in obscurity, nobody cares about me, and my life doesn’t matter.” Your life does matter. It matters a lot. God is at work in your life. And just as He was preparing Mary, He’s preparing you for the plans He has for you.