Isn't it fantastic to consider that God looked through all of the corridors of time and selected a woman, Mary, to be the mother of His Son, Jesus Christ?
"And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord."
Luke 1:41-43
When I consider the subject of parenthood, my mind often finds its way to Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
What a magnificent honor!
What an incredible responsibility!
Jesus had the destiny to fulfill that was unlike any who had come before Him or would be like any who would come after Him. Mary was selected to be the guiding force in those childhood years that would aid Jesus to reach the lofty heights of the Will of God and redeem humanity!
What about Mary made her Heaven's choice to bear such a blessing in her womb and have such a worthy calling for her earthly life?
The scriptures do not define why Mary was selected clearly. But when we examine her life through the scriptures, we find that she is an exceptional woman.
A few truths about the life of Mary that make her a worthy choice:
1.) Mary was a woman of bold faith:
Mary's testimony to Elizabeth is very telling of her faith:
"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."
Luke 1:46-47
When presented with an incredible presentation of the promised Messiah, Mary boldly believes and embraces God's Will for her future!
Early in the chapter, the angel had delivered another message about a miracle child who would be the final prophet of the ages, John The Baptist, and when hearing the salutation, Zachariah, the Priest, instead of testifying boldly as Mary, asks the angel for a sign that the event the angel spoke of would come to pass.
What faith Mary had!
We can't forget it was Mary who spurned on the first miracle of Jesus at the wedding, where He would turn water into wine. Instead, Mary implored Jesus to do this miracle for the married couple, directing the servants to do whatever Jesus asked.
Can I say it? Our children today need parents who are full of faith!
Our children need moms and dads who will boldly say yes to the will of God and will happily submit their lives to do whatever God has for them to do.
We need a revival to take place in our homes. A spiritual awakening that will drive us to raise our children in light of the scripture and direct them clearly to Jesus!
Mary was such a woman. Mary was a woman of exceptional faith.
2.) Mary was a woman who knew the Scriptures:
"And Mary said My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever."
Luke 1:46-55
Mary gives an incredible testimony to her cousin, Elizabeth, and these dear women praise the Lord of Heaven for the blessings of the children bestowed upon them!
We discover a rich understanding of God's Word within Mary's testimony.
Mary speaks of the Savior, generational blessings, the promise bestowed upon the line of King David, the boldness of prophecy, the psalms promises for help for Israel, and the patriarch Abraham, the Father of the Hebrew people.
I find this truth about Mary both inspiring and convicting! But, of course, God would want the parents of Jesus to be well-versed in the scriptures. And I believe that God wants our children to grow up with parents as well learned as Mary concerning the Heavenly Word.
I can only imagine that Mary spent her time at Elizabeth's, combing through the scriptures, examining every passage that touched on the Messiah, and learning about His destiny and the great responsibility that rests upon her and Joseph.
Our children have a great destiny from God also. Therefore, may we as parents strive to learn the scriptures to teach our children how they are to go for God!
3.) Mary was obedient to God:
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:38
I can see how vital Mary's faith and knowledge were in raising Jesus. But it may be that her obedience was the most crucial aspect of God's choice of Mary to raise Jesus.
God knew He could count on Mary to do what He asked.
God knew He could trust Mary to follow through on what He commanded.
God knew He could be sure Mary would yield her life to whatsoever He desired and whatsoever path He directed.
One of the essential truths we must keep before us as parents are that our children belong to God. This truth means that we as parents are responsible for raising them for God's Will and purposes.
If we fail to yield ourselves to God through faithful obedience to His design for our children, we ultimately are setting them up for failure in the sight of God. How urgent it is that we aim them toward God's desired end!
Raising Jesus was challenging. Not because He wasn't an obedient child. We know Jesus was perfect and kept the whole Law of God.
What made raising Jesus hard was the destination of His future: The Cross of Calvary.
If Mary knew the Word and studied the scriptures concerning Messiah, she would have encountered Daniel's stark truth: "Messiah would be cut off," or in layman's terms, Messiah would die.
Mary would have also seen in Isaiah chapter fifty-three that Messiah would face betrayal by the people He came to save. And that God would bruise Him for the in of humanity.
Mary had a very sobering task before her, Raise Jesus to do the work of His Heavenly Father, which was to die a horrible death to save humanity.
We may not want for our children what God wants. I'm sure Mary didn't want to see the babe she wrapped in swaddling clothes crucified. But Jesus ultimately belonged to God, and it was Mary's calling to obey God.
The same is true of our children; they belong to God and we are calling is to be obedient to God in how we raise them and in what direction we aim them.
I pray Mary's example will be an example to us all.