Written ~ 12-22-2023
Luke 1:39-45
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.”
Think of someone you absolutely love and adore… they have just told you they are expecting a child after years of infertility, they are up in years so that possibility seemed to be far past its timing. The joy of that announcement would be incredibly exciting! So, when Mary went to see Elizabeth she was overjoyed, their greeting must have been filled with tears and laughter. But Mary had some news of her own! This news wasn’t something she wanted to tell Elizabeth in a letter…
Try to picture the scene, Mary and Elizabeth sitting down with a cup of tea, telling each other their stories. Elizabeth goes on to tell Mary all about how Zechariah was serving in the Temple and an angel appeared to him and told him they were going to have a son! And their son would grow to be the man whose sole purpose was to prepare the hearts of the people, to lead them to the Messiah (Luke 1:5-25). I can imagine Elizabeth cradling her six month belly as she talks about her son with such exceeding joy. As they giggled and talked, it was Mary’s turn to tell her story. Elizabeth already knew something miraculous had happened, because when she had heard Mary’s voice of greeting her “child leapt within her and she was filled with the Holy Spirit.” As Mary began telling Elizabeth all that had happened, can you imagine Elizabeth’s eyes getting wider, tears rolling down her cheeks and the unending smile on her face? These two women were sharing a moment that no two women had ever shared before. The flurry of excitement mixed with tears had to be a sight to see!
Both of these women had reason to doubt. Elizabeth was advanced in age. Mary was a virgin. But here they were, instead of doubting, instead of questioning the Almighty God, they accepted His Word to be true and humbled themselves to be used by God in a powerful way.
Each of us have purpose, we all have God’s calling placed on our lives. Some may thoroughly ignore that calling and completely miss out on the Lord’s blessing. But those who answer that call can do miraculous things! There are so many things God can do through each of us, we just need to be willing to humble ourselves and do what the Lord is asking us to do. Are you using your talents for the glory of God? Are you reaching out to people who need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ? Are you shining your light wherever you go?
Both Mary and Elizabeth were going about their lives, they loved the Lord, both were known to serve the Lord humbly and found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Then! Both were astonished by the calling the Lord placed on their lives and both accepted the responsibility of mothering two incredibly important men! I think that is awesome! That shows me the Lord can use anyone! We don’t have to be Biblical Scholars, we don’t need to have extroverted personalities, we just need to have the heart of the Lord.
From our passage today, verse 1:45 says,
45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.”
Do you believe the Lord will do what He says? Is there doubt, fear or unbelief clouding your heart and mind? Let’s not stand in the way of the Lord, ask Him to show you His purpose for your life and be ready to have the astonishing answer! It may not be something you are ready to hear, but the Lord has chosen you to do His good work.
Father, my prayer today is that You would continue to speak to my heart. I want to be in Your will as I go about my day. If I am ever turning from the direction You have purposed for me, steer me in the right direction. Speak through my words as I write out my thoughts. Have the Holy Spirit leap off these pages. Fill the hearts of those reading these words that they too would be filled with the Holy Spirit.
~AMEN~