Mensa Otabil - The Highest Will Overshadow You
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Luke chapter 1, verse 35: «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.’» Such amazing words spoken! The angel of the Lord, Gabriel, visited Mary and told her about the mission that God had chosen her for. Mary was told that she was going to give birth to the Son of God. For a simple village girl engaged to the village carpenter, this would be very overwhelming to hear. But if she was overwhelmed, she didn’t show it. She simply asked, «How is that going to happen?»
When it was explained to her, she accepted what God was going to do. When she asked, «How is it going to happen?» she was not asking in doubt; she was asking simply for an explanation. The angel Gabriel told her a few things. First, that the Holy Spirit will come upon her. Throughout the Bible, right from the Old Testament, when God wanted to do something extraordinary with people, the Holy Spirit came upon them. The Holy Spirit coming upon us enables us to do things beyond our natural strength. So that’s the first thing the angel said to Mary: «This is not going to be you forcing and pushing for something to happen. This is going to be the Holy Spirit’s work in your life.» I just want you to know that if God says that you’re going to do something extraordinary, it will take the extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit to make it happen—not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.
The second thing the angel said to her is that the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. This statement reminds us of what happened in Genesis chapter 1, verse 2, when the earth was without form and void, and the Bible says, «The Spirit of God was moving or hovering over the face of the waters.» It is overshadowing, and that’s what the angel is saying to Mary: The Holy Spirit will enable you, but He will overshadow you. When the Holy Spirit overshadows you, He takes over your weaknesses; He takes you over so the things you couldn’t do, He overshadows you and helps you to do. The Holy Spirit will overshadow you.
The third thing we learn from this passage is that Mary’s conception was a direct work of God, our Creator. This is not the work of Mary; this is the work of the Holy Spirit. He is able to make a child without a human male. Just think about it: the first man in the Bible was made from the dust of the earth, and the second person created, Eve, was made from a rib. If God can make a human being from dust and from a rib, do you not think the Holy Spirit can bring into being the Son of God? So, the Son of God was brought into being, manifested through the power of the Holy Spirit—the same Holy Spirit who has been at work in our lives all these years. Mary was fully convinced that God could conceive a child in her womb, though she didn’t know a man. She believed God could do it, and her faith in God was firm that this announcement was going to become a reality.
As we ponder Christmas, think about this woman, Mary, who had so much faith in what God could do and accepted the role to host in her womb the Son of God. Let’s share a word of prayer together. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, fill me anew with Your Holy Spirit and let the power of the Most High overshadow me. In Jesus' name, Amen.» May the Lord overshadow you and surround you with His presence throughout this day.
I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.