Blessed and Highly Favored

When Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, saw Mary, she proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” (Luke 1:42). This statement is more than a personal celebration—it’s a profound proclamation. And while it highlights the unique role Mary played in God’s redemptive plan, there’s also something in it for us to learn.

Mary alone will forever hold the miraculous distinction of bearing the Son of God—conceiving as a virgin, raising Jesus from infancy, releasing Him to the cross, mourning His death, and rejoicing in His resurrection. She was, without question, uniquely and specifically blessed.

But what if this pronouncement has a broader application too?

Does God look at each of us personally and uniquely? Scripture says He does. He knows the number of hairs on our head. He knit us together in our mother’s womb. He is both sovereign—ruling over all things—and deeply personal, loving us specifically and intimately.

This is true, so let me use Elizabeth’s words to bless you. You are “blessed and highly favored” by His miraculous will.

What’s more significant: the role we play in God’s eternal redemptive story, or the fact that He knows us and includes us at all?

Even Mary’s story wasn’t fully understood in the moment. No one noticed the miracle when she was changing diapers or mending scraped knees. Her faithfulness in the ordinary was part of something extraordinary but I’m sure it didn’t always feel that way.

Don’t fixate on the size or visibility of your role. Instead, rejoice that you’re on the team—that God has called you, sees you, and is working through your life in ways that may only become clear later.

And in that realization, may your sense of gratitude and purpose grow ever deeper.