Luke 1:26-38
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [a]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the [b]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [c]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, [d]favored one! The Lord [e]is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall 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 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How [f]can this be, since I [g]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the [h]holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and [i]she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For [j]nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the [k]bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
I often pray that God would give me a pure heart like Mary. One of the beatitudes says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” I believe that to “see God,” means to experience Him, and His activity, in tangibly dramatic ways. To experience Him without much filter. To be personally included in His purposes on Earth at the highest level.That’s what happened to Mary when Gabriel came to her, and announced God’s purposes. The plan stunned her, but she didn’t seem at all surprised that an Archangel was in her room talking to her, and once he explained how this was going to happen supernaturally, she was good with the plan. All this, because Mary had a pure heart. In verse 38 the Holy Spirit reveals to us the deepest interior of Mary’s heart when she says, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord.”. A Bondslave is a slave, when given the opportunity to go free, ( as in a year of Jubilee) voluntarily chooses to remain a slave to that master the rest of their lives. They give up the opportunity to ever go free again. What an act of love, devotion, and surrender. A Bondservant doesn’t serve out of fear or compulsion, but out of PURE devotion. They have given up all rights, and claim the ownership of nothing Their one delight is to serve the one who they belong to. This why I pray almost daily that I will have Mary’s pure heart. I want to love God with that kind of heart. God didn’t just choose her arbitrarily. It was intentional. He saw a young girl who would say yes to anything, and pay any price as far as He was concerned, and would believe Him no matter how impossible His plan might be. Oh God, give me the heart of Mary, for I long to see You. Have a great day loving Jesus.
Thy life was given for me; Thy blood, O Lord, was shed,
That I might ransomed be, and quickened from the dead.
Thy life was given for me; what have I given for Thee?
Thy life was given for me; what have I given for Thee?
Long years were spent for me, in weariness and woe,
That through eternity Thy glory I might know.
Long years were spent for me; have I spent one for Thee?
Long years were spent for me; have I spent one for Thee?
And Thou hast brought to me, down from Thy home above,
Salvation full and free, Thy pardon and Thy love.
Great gifts Thou broughtest me; what have I brought to Thee?
Great gifts Thou broughtest me; what have I brought to Thee?
O let my life be given, my years for Thee be spent,
World fetters all be riven, and joy with suffering blent!
Thou gavest Thyself for me; I give myself to Thee.
Thou gavest Thyself for me; I give myself to Thee.