Luke 1:26-28
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
For 400 years, God was silent. The Jewish nation had a longstanding history with God—He spoke through prophets, inspired His servants to write Scripture, and rescued them from their enemies over and over again. But then—silence. People were afraid. Will God ever speak again? Finally, God speaks, and He does it in a very unlikely way. He sends His angel Gabriel to a young girl, Mary, living in the poor Jewish town of Nazareth. Mary is probably a young teenager, a regular person like you and me, and God chose to speak to her.
Can you identify with Mary? Does it feel like God has been silent in your life for a very long time despite your best efforts to talk to Him? Take heart in the truth that God is at work, even if it feels like He’s being silent. As a Christ follower, you are favored and the Lord is with you—just as He was with Mary. Take some time to ponder that truth and thank God for His favor and presence in your life, even if you don’t feel it at this moment.