Revcort's Ramblings

Scripture Focus

“And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’” – Luke 1:28 (ESV)

Devotional Thought

Nazareth was the kind of town most people avoided—a small, obscure village with no reputation for greatness. Yet it was there, in a quiet home, that God sent His messenger with the most astonishing announcement the world had ever heard.

Gabriel did not appear to a queen, a priest, or a prophet. He appeared to Mary, a humble teenage girl with no status, no power, and no reason to expect that heaven would speak her name. But God often begins His greatest works in the most unexpected places.

Mary’s Humility — The Posture God Honors

Mary is described as highly favored, not because of her accomplishments, but because of God’s grace. When Gabriel tells her what God is about to do, she doesn’t boast, argue, or demand explanations. She simply asks, “How will this be?”—not in doubt, but in wonder. Her heart is open. Her posture is surrendered.

Mary teaches us this truth:
God uses the humble, not the proud. God exalts the lowly, not the self-assured.

God’s Favor — A Gift, Not a Reward

Gabriel’s greeting—“The Lord is with you”—reveals that God’s favor is not earned. It is given. Mary didn’t climb a spiritual ladder to reach this moment. God came down to her. This is the same grace He extends to us: He meets us in our ordinary lives and brings extraordinary purposes.

The Miracle of the Incarnation

The angel’s announcement is breathtaking: Mary will conceive by the Holy Spirit. The child will be the long-awaited Son of David. He will reign forever. And His name will be Jesus—“Yahweh saves.”

Here is the wonder of Christmas: God became flesh.
He entered our world not as a blazing figure of glory, but as an unborn child in a virgin womb. This is the mystery of the Incarnation—God with us in human form, fully divine and fully human, the Savior conceived by the Spirit and born to redeem.

Mary’s Surrender — A Model for Us

Her final words are the heart of discipleship: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

She embraces: the uncertainty, the cost, the misunderstanding, the responsibility, and the mission God entrusted to her. Mary’s faith didn’t remove her fears—it overcame them. Her surrender became the doorway through which the Savior entered the world.

Reflection Questions

1. What does Mary’s humble posture teach you about responding to God’s call on your life?
2. How does the mystery of the Incarnation deepen your worship of Christ this Christmas season?
3. Is there an area where God is calling you to say, “Let it be to me according to Your word”?

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You for Mary’s example of humility and surrender. Thank You for sending Jesus through miraculous grace and divine power. Help me to welcome Your plans with trust, even when I don’t fully understand them. Fill my heart with wonder at the miracle of the Incarnation—God with us. Amen.