Mary lived in the hope that God’s promise of a Messiah would soon come to pass. What she never expected, however, is that she would be the one God chose to help bring this miracle to pass.
Throughout history, God has chosen people who, by outward appearances, did not seem to have much to offer but were open to following His will. Mary knew this truth. She was self-aware and understood her place compared to others with more money, position, or power. She had learned to become satisfied with her life. Mary’s knowledge of God’s goodness had allowed a contentment with what she had. Mary simply had a heart of worship, and that heart of worship was one reason God had chosen her among all the women of that time.
Being chosen by God didn’t take away her basic sense of humility. When she was called “favored” by the angel and “blessed among women” by her cousin Elizabeth, Mary’s innate response was to lift up praise to God from a place of gratitude.
Worshiping with a humble heart is still important today. If Jesus humbled Himself for us, think of the humility we should have for Him! It is true that we can approach the Throne of Grace with confidence and boldness. The righteousness we receive by the forgiveness of our sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit grants us permission to do so. But we must remember that doing so is in itself a gift of grace and that warrants a loving state of humility.
Humility allows us to fully submit to God. Through a humble heart, we must acknowledge that apart from Him, we can do nothing. He is the one who knows us, the one who created us. He has a plan for each one of us. When we begin to put all of our faith in God, we humble ourselves to the point of being utterly dependent on Him
God is still looking for people with a sense of humility about themselves and a sense of awe about Him. These are the ones He desires to use. So, if we desire to be set apart for Him, our first priority must be to humbly ensure that He is the object of our worship.