Startled To
Strength!
"Rejoice, highly favored
one, the Lord is with you."
Luke 1: 28
Those words—Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord
is with you—startled Mary. She had no idea anyone
was nearby. Whether she was at
the village well, on
a leisurely walk, or in her home, we don’t know. But
she was definitely not alone!
Angel Gabriel, who had appeared hundreds of years
before to Daniel, appeared to her out of nowhere. His
first word was a command—Rejoice! His next words
were of grace: highly favored one. The next thing he
said was a fact—the Lord is with you.
There’s only one virgin Mary, but on the basis of other
Scriptures throughout the Word of God, we can claim
those words for ourselves. We are told in Philippians
4:4 to rejoice! Psalm 5:12 says that God
surrounds
us with favor “as with a shield.”
And dozens of Scriptures remind us of the Lord’s
presence with us. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for
I am with you.” Just
as Lord was with Mary when
she became Jesus’ mother, He is with us—giving
us the strength we need for the tasks we face and
the
burdens we bear.
Let this message startle
you,
and then strengthen you!
"If you will but rejoice,
God will give
power."
A. B. Simpson