And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
The Bible says that Angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary with the good news of bearing and bringing forth the Messiah, the Son of God. I am sure during that time there were many other virgins in Israel. May be some of them were more religious, but have you ever thought why God chose this particular virgin called Mary to bring the Messiah? Yes, of course it was the Sovereign Will of God but at the same time, Mary also reveals the secret in her song of worship to the Lord in the same chapter from 46th verse to 55th verse.
She says, “… My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed…”
This is what God was looking for – a Humble, Meek & Lowly Virgin and I believe in Mary God found one.
King David said in Psalm 138:6 “Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off”. We can imagine God’s eye scanning to and fro over the whole nation of Israel searching for the meekest and lowliest virgin to send the meek Son of God through her. Jesus was so meek that it required a meek vessel to bring Him to this earth. God said about Jesus in Zechariah 9:9″Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
Jesus himself said in Mathew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls“. Jesus was so meek that even after knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. John 13:3-5
Do you know the meekest and most humble person today in this whole universe is God Himself. Millions receive favour from Him and don’t give Him any credit but blame Him if something goes wrong. He is the servant of all. He serves everybody, cares for all, listens to everyone, bears with everyone and suffers for everyone. God is the meekest of all.
Therefore, don’t search for God in high places for you will find Him in lowly places. No wonder Mother Teresa served the beggars on the streets of Kolkata.
Isaiah 57:15 says “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”. God has two dwelling places one in heaven and another in a humble and meek heart.
Isaiah 66:1,2 says, “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”
God is calling us to have a humble and meek spirit so that we can become the apt instruments for Jesus to dwell in us and work through us. Remember Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” What a wonderful promise!
Let us go a little further and see the meekness of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
The steps down that He had to take in order that we might receive eternal life.
- Who, being in the form of God, never ever thought to be equal with God was a thing to be grasped or held on to
- But made Himself of no reputation
- Took upon Him the form of a servant.
- Was made in the likeness of men
- He humbled Himself and,
- Became obedient unto death,
- Even the death of the Cross.
Remember Jesus said in Luke 14:11, ” For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”. Brokenness, meekness and humbleness is the right attitude to attract God’s attention.
May this character become a part of your life now and always and let God have His way in and through you. May you become the dwelling place of God. God bless you and make you a blessing. Before honour is Humility.
God Bless You!
Bro S. R. Manohar