There are so many powerful lessons we can learn from the Christmas story! The season isn’t about our families, Christmas trees, gift exchanges, or delicious food. Although those are all beautiful traditions that are special to so many of us, the reason we celebrate Christmas is to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus! One of the most powerful moments of the story of Jesus’ conception was when Mary received Gabriel’s message. This powerful message was delivered according to His Word.
Prophecy Fulfilled
Jesus’ birth is estimated to have been approximately 4000 years after Adam and Eve. And the very first prophecy regarding the Messiah was given in Genesis 3:15 when God told the devil, “He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel (NKJV).” Hundreds more prophecies were given over the next four thousand years to declare the coming of the Christ.
These prophecies were given by God Himself, Moses, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah… The list encompasses dozens of different sources throughout the Old Testament. Each time these were spoken, God’s Word was being sent. God was literally speaking His Son’s birth into existence!
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
As Jesus’ life was being spoken over the millennia, the Words of God were building. Finally, the future of the Messiah had been completely foretold. Then in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4), God sent Gabriel to share this Word with a special young girl.
The Word of the Lord
The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.”
It took the Lord a long time to find a virgin who was pure, who would believe His Word. Mary was specifically chosen by God to be the mother of the Savior of the world. God found her willing and able, and the angel Gabriel told her she was blessed and highly favored by God!
That’s a pretty powerful greeting! He then told her, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:31-33).”
Mary must have been pretty confused, not because she didn’t believe what Gabriel was saying. She just understood how babies were made, and knew that hadn’t happened yet!
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God…For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
According to His Word
When Mary said, “Let it be unto me according to your word,” it wasn’t only Gabriel’s words. The Word of God which had been spoken over the millennia became the seed of the Messiah. By the work of the Holy Spirit, she became pregnant with the Word of God!
The Word of God grew until He was born in a manger on that miraculous Christmas night! The world received the fruit of the Seed planted in Mary when the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. This was what John spoke of when he wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory (John 1:14).“ Jesus was, and is, the Word!
In the same way, when the Word of God is planted in faith in your life, it will germinate and grow! Whether you are planting seeds of the Word regarding your health, finances, the salvation of a loved one, or fulfilling the call of God upon your life, it all works the very same way.
Planting the Word
And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
At first, when the seed of the Word is planted, by speaking it over your life, you may not see growth right away. Just like Mary, she knew she was pregnant. But her body didn’t change at first. Perhaps others didn’t believe her because she didn’t look pregnant. But the Word had been planted, and He had already begun to grow.
In the same way, you may not see the seed germinate and begin to grow. You may not know how it is growing. But the Word is seed, and seed is designed to grow! Plant it in faith, water and tend it through thanksgiving and prayer. Expect with hope, eager anticipation and expectation: your harvest is coming.
We pray that this year, as you plant the Word of God in your heart, the seed of the Word germinates and grows until it becomes “flesh” in your life! Keep planting, watering, and tending the Word of God sown in your heart and you will see it come to pass.
Then, just as it was spoken of Mary, it will be said of you, “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said (Luke 1:45 NLT).”