And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. –
Luke 1:35
The angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her about the mission that God had chosen for her. Mary was told that she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God. That’s a lot of information for a humble village girl to handle, but Mary took it well. She asked how such a fantastic thing would happen. She didn’t ask out of doubt. She asked out of curiosity. The angel’s answer to Mary was as strange as the original message he had delivered.Luke 1:35
‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’, said the angel. Throughout the Bible, when God chose people for an assignment, the Holy Spirit would come upon those people. Gabriel’s answer to Mary clearly shows that when God chooses us to do something for Him, His Holy Spirit helps us to do it. We cannot do God’s will in our power. We do God’s will through the power of His Spirit.
Again, the angel said, ‘the Power of the Highest will overshadow you’. This statement reminds us of how the Spirit of God moved upon the waters in Genesis 1:2. The Holy Spirit overshadowed the earth when it was in a formless state and made it ready for the Word of God to be spoken over it.
Similarly, the Holy Spirit would overshadow Mary to enable the Word of God to become flesh in her womb. When God overshadows us, His strength takes over our weaknesses. His unlimited power takes over our limitations. When the Lord overshadows us, He transforms us from who we are into whom He wants us to be.
Mary’s conception was a direct work of the Holy Spirit. Our God is a Creator. He created all things out of nothing and made Adam from the dust of the ground. He also made Eve from the rib of Adam. Is it too hard for this God, to form a child in a virgin’s womb without a man? Our God is able. Mary was fully convinced that God could conceive a child in her womb though she had not been with a man. She had firm faith that the Lord could do all that the angel had announced to her.
As we ponder over the announcement of angel Gabriel and the response of Mary, let us be reminded of the awesomeness of our God. He chooses for Himself, whom He would use for His purposes.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, fill me anew with Your Holy Spirit. Let the Power of the Most High overshadow me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!Scripture Reading:
Luke 1:26-38
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