How do you think you might react if you were to encounter an angel? What if it was not just any angel, but the angel of the Lord? What if it was the special angel God always sent to bring a message to someone he specifically chose? Would you be able to stand or fall on your knees?
It is not common for us to encounter angels. In fact, it is extremely rare. It is even more rare for Gabriel to bring a message to someone. As we scour the pages of Scripture, we only see Gabriel bring messages to people who have been chosen by God to complete a specific task.
We only see two angels specifically named in Scripture. Michael is only mentioned when there is a battle against evil. We may even think of him as God’s enforcer against evil. On the other hand, Gabriel is God’s chosen messenger. We see him bring messages to a variety of people, including both Mary and Joseph.
Do not think Gabriel is any less powerful than Michael. I’m sure there is an awesome presence about him. If he were to suddenly appear to us, we would immediately recognize his power and presence. We would also know that he was sent to us by God. We would likely be overcome by a desire to fall to our knees. We would immediately realize we were no match for him.
Mary saw Gabriel face-to-face. I can only imagine that she was shook. How would we react to Gabriel suddenly appearing to us? That might be a good question for us to ponder. Being in the presence of God’s messenger is not something to take lightly. It would be even more knee-bending to be in the presence of Jesus. Imagine being in the very presence of God, being face-to-face with him.
I pray we all take a moment to imagine what it would be like to be face-to-face with God. I pray we ponder the thought of being in Mary’s sandals. I pray each one of us realize the awesome presence of an angel and Jesus Christ. Realize the power of God. Be in awe of angelic encounters. Know that one day you will stand before God face-to-face.
Luke 1:26-27 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Marty Pressey 