Snapshot
Key Character: Mary.
Gabriel: An Angel who brought Good tidings to Mary.
Overview
The given theme centres on how accepting God’s will leads to divine satisfaction. putting Mary’s encounter with angel Gabriel, we could discover that her satisfaction came by the expression, “Be it unto me according to your words.” Further, this satisfaction was a link between a chain of events. These events include contact, conversation, conception, and concession. We shall discuss these in two series, starting with contact.
Contact
How did the Contact unravel?
A Person to contact
God used her virtue to describe her. It was as though God told the angel, “find your way to Galilee. When you get to Galilee, go to Nazareth. In Nazareth, an engagement of a poor virgin to a poor holy carpenter recently occurred. Now, look for Joseph from the lineage of David. And the name of this engaged virgin is Mary”. So the one to whom this angel can be sent to discuss is a virtuous lady. Indeed, her virtue was her differentiating description. Erhas there were other Mary’s living in Nazareth, in the region of Galilee. And perhaps just got recently engaged to Joseph from the lineage of David but were not chaste as such could not be called virgin Mary.
The heavenly description of Daniel was that he was highly beloved; of Samuel and Moses, intercessors; of Abraham, a friend of God; of Joseph, a holy man of God. Little wonder, like Mary, they all enjoyed divine visitation. What character can heaven use in describing you should there be something God wants to deliver to you. God did not send the angel to a promiscuous Patra, a backbiter Sister Beatrice, a womanizing brother Williams, an envious sister Eva, or a bullying brother Bruno.
The Place of Contact
It was neither a street talk nor a speech over a podium. The angel felt at home with her. How is it with you in there? Will the Holy Spirit deem it fit to sit within? Can He come to sit, waiting for you? The angel was within waiting for her. God knew her daily movements and moment because she committed them to God. Therefore, God knew exactly when to send the angel and make Him wait in ovation and anticipation of this highly favoured woman. How much does God know about your daily events? Has he the privilege of ordering them? If not, you may not be in such a position to receive a great favour of visitation like Mary.
There are now many places where God can contact us through His Holy Spirit. On our phones. In bed or at sleep. Check out how those laces are. Are they rightly ordered so that they can host a contact between you and God? A phone, for example, full of pornography and filthy songs that can otherwise store uplifting messages cannot be a point of contact between you and God because it is a point of contact already between you and the devil and his demons.
The Purpose of Contact
The angel came to bless her. He opened his speech in the contact session by saying, “Rejoice.” Don’t we avoid attending to God because we know our life and attitudes command rebukes instead of a commendation that came with Mary’s visit? Only those who would respond to God’s rebuke can hear Him say, rejoice because He holds out favour for them.
Watch the word “blessed.” Blessed are you among women. We are no longer in that commonplace situation where angels consign God’s message to us. Instead, the Holy Spirit searches God’s deep things and reveals them to us with zero transmission time. Nonetheless, since the Holy Spirit would only protract things about Jesus and His teachings in us, it seems clear to me that those whom Jesus, if He were here, would call blessed, will be pronounced blessed by the Holy Spirit. We are not left in the dark, nor do we need angels to come to pronounce us blessed. Who then will the Holy spirit call blessed amongst all human races? They are the meek; the poor in spirit; those who mourn; the hungry and thirsty for righteousness; the merciful; the pure in heart; the peacemakers; the persecuted. The speech with which the Holy Spirit would welcome us should want to commend us may read thus: Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, the Lord is with you, blessed are you, oh, mournful, reviled and persecuted.
Mary in that her blessed state when she had not become a disciple of John, though proclaimed by an angel, was nothing compared to us. Was she highly favoured? Yes! Highly Blessed? Yes! But we did not hear the angel announce to her, “Great is your reward in heaven.” Nor was she privileged to attend the service in which Jesus preached the sermon on the mount, although she was highly favoured. I mean, more superb is the frequency with which the word of the Lord comes to us! Therefore, we are at least equally as favoured and highly privileged.
Yet this contact is in the heart. And the condition remains that only the clean at heart can continually enjoy this privilege unabridged. What satisfaction there is in the Father visiting us daily! What lies between you and your Master dear, that His one favourite abode – your heart – has become a forbidden abode? What irritants lie therein? Would you not fling the door open through confession and let His blood flow in for cleansing. I assure you there will be contact sessions again.
