The angel greeted Mary and said, “Rejoice, favoured one! The Lord is with you!”

Luke 1:28 (CEB)

 

Mary was profoundly troubled and afraid when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her, calling her “favoured one.” This Greek word for “favoured” is used only one other time in the New Testament in Ephesians 1:6 “to the praise of His glorious grace that He favoured us with in the Beloved.”

Mary would have struggled to believe that she is in God's favour as she prepares to face one of the most difficult times of her life. But the lesson she will learn is that God's favour is His active and empowering presence working in and through her. It is the same lesson we must all learn.

In Christ, we always have favour with God.

God favours you because of who He is, not because of what you have done. Mary found favour, not because she earned it, but because her story is intertwined with God's story. In the same way, we must learn to rest on God's favour while He leads us through a season we may not want to be in, but which is necessary for greater expressions of faithfulness and fruitfulness.

Since we cannot be sure of what lies ahead, we need God to sustain us as we willingly surrender to His will for our lives. In other words, God’s favour will open our hearts and minds to discover new opportunities for faith, hope and service to thrive and flourish.