And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luke 1:28-30
“Favor.”
It’s something we often seek from our Lord. Sometimes we might even know what we are asking. Dictionary.com defines “favor” this way:
1. something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor.
2. friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill: to win the favor of the king.
3. the state of being approved or held in regard: to be in favor at court; styles that are now in favor.
4. excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment: to treat some people with favor and others with neglect.
5. a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, love,etc., as formerly upon a knight by his lady.
When we look at “favor” as merely option #4 or #5, preferential treatment or a gift, I think we short-change God and ourselves.
This card came into my office at Christmas time a couple of years ago and for some odd reason, it held my attention. After Christmas, it came home with me and I placed where I would see it every day. Every time I looked at it, God would whisper to me
"favor can be dangerous…”
Look at Mary. She was a mere teenager when the angel visited her; her life had just begun, really. She was looking forward to starting married life with Joseph. Was she perfect? No. Did she know everything? No. Was she willing to be used of God for His purpose? Yes, completely.
What did “favor” look like with Mary? Option #3. She was approved or held in regard by God. Again, she wasn’t perfect. She was willing to allow God to work his purpose through her life. She didn’t know it, but by saying “yes” she was changing her life, and the world, forever.
Favor for Mary involved:
scandal
whispers
gossip
giving birth to her Son in a place where animals stay
at times, living a life on the run
watching her precious Son whom she loved dearly being beaten
seeing Him die
and…..
the love of a man who knew when his God was speaking,and was faithful to obey and love Mary
holding the newborn Savior of the world in her arms and kissing His face
loving Jesus face to face and knowing He loved her too
changing the world by being part of God’s plan to bring man back to Him
Would Mary have done things differently had she known what was to transpire? We will never know, but it’s a good argument for the reason God doesn’t always give us the game plan ahead of time.
Favor. God’s favor. Which version of God's favor do you seek? The gift or the regard?
Oh! Why do I call this "Dangerous Favor" you ask? Because that favor can change the world!
You know who else had favor? Noah. We will talk about him in another post
