The angel greeted Mary and said, “Rejoice, favoured one! The Lord is with you!”

Luke 1:28 (CEB)

 

Mary was deeply troubled and afraid when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her, calling her “favoured one.” This Greek word for “favoured” is used only one other time in the New Testament in Ephesians 1:6 “to the praise of His glorious grace that He favoured us with in the Beloved.”

God’s favour is given not for the deserving, but the undeserving. God favours you because of who He is, not because of anything you have done. Mary found favour with God. She did not earn it by her own effort. Rather God’s favour opens her heart to fulfill the things God has called her to do.

God’s favour is about encountering and experiencing His active presence in our circumstances, as well as His ability to accomplish what He pleases. It is not just a blessing, but also a calling into greater faithfulness and fruitfulness. To put it another way, God's favour reorients our minds and hearts towards a fresh expression of faith, hope, and service. This gives you the freedom to live your life and do His will without fear.

You will experience God’s ever-increasing favour to sustain you as you willingly submit to living life His way. Since we cannot be sure of what lies ahead, we need to rest on God’s favour to lead us in a direction we may not want to go but must—so that we can grow and thrive and experience the fullness of life God has promised to those who belong to Him.