Tags
Advent, angel, deliverance, fellowship, healing, Jesus, King, Kingdom, meditation, miracles, restore
One Sunday afternoon I was preparing my heart for the season of Advent by reading Luke 1:26-38. As I meditated on it I became awestruck over Mary’s response. It stuck with me all day. If you don’t remember the story, please allow me to refresh your memory. The angel, Gabriel just visited Mary, and announced she was God’s chosen vessel to fulfill scripture and bring Jesus, our King, into the world. When Mary asks how this will happen since she is a virgin the angel responds “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you.” Mary simply responds “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be to me according to your word.” Now I don’t know about you but I if I were her I’m not convinced I would have been quite so submissive. I imagine I would have been asking a lot of questions and possibly even making up excuses, but not Mary. Without elaboration she says,”Ok God. Whatever you say, I will do it”.
I continued to ponder this passage of scripture and realized God is asking something similar of his children today. We are God’s chosen vessels to fulfill bringing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, until Jesus comes again.
We are the bride of Christ, God in the flesh, and He is preparing us to receive Him as groom. God created us to rule and reign with Him in His Kingdom. We can trace the Kingdom of God all the way back to the creation of the world. God created man and placed him in the garden to rule over the earth while walking with Him in continual fellowship. It was heaven on earth.
When man disobeyed God and thought living independently of Him sounded better everything that was right went wrong. Self-reliance ushered in broken fellowship with God. And sin and sickness entered our world. Jesus came to restore all things that were lost to man. He preached the Kingdom of God and then demonstrated what that looked like with healings, deliverance and miracles. Then He told his disciples to go out and do what he did. In fact, He said they would do greater things than He.
Acts 3:21, Matt 10:7-8, Mark 15:15-18, Matt 6:10, John 14:12, Acts 1:8 and Matt 24:14
Prayer Meditation: Read Luke 1:26-38
Close your eyes and picture the Lord coming to you as He did Mary. “Greetings _____________, you are highly favored! Do not be afraid ____________. You have found favor with God. What has been conceived in you by the Holy Spirit will be birthed and my Kingdom established through you on earth as it is in heaven. It is a Kingdom that will never end because I am coming again.”
How will you respond?