Wednesday, December 18, 2024 // Day 18
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord”. —Luke 1:39–45
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord”. —Luke 1:39–45
LEAPS OF JOY
To supply a little context, Mary had just been visited by the angel Gabriel and was told that God has found favor with her, and that she would conceive and give birth to a son named Jesus, the Son of God. Mary, being a woman of lowly stature, did not understand why she was chosen. But we’ve seen over and over in the Bible how God uses the humble to fulfill His promises. Mary was also told that her relative Elizabeth had conceived a son even though she was previously barren.
As Mary goes to visit Elizabeth to tell her everything that had happened and presumably to celebrate what the Lord had done for her as well, we witness a beautiful connection of the abounding faith and joy between them. So much joy, that even the baby boy in Elizabeth’s womb leaps at the sound of Mary’s voice. When the Holy Spirit came upon her, Elizabeth immediately exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” She knew Mary’s baby was the Savior of the world, even before a word could be said.
Elizabeth and Mary exemplify what it means to love and trust God with one’s whole heart. They believed! They believed in God’s promises and were blessed beyond measure. Through their faith, we have received the greatest blessing of all – our Savior, Jesus Christ!
My prayer today is that we would be inspired by the undeniable faith that Mary and Elizabeth exemplified. I pray that we would recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives and that we would love and encourage one another in times of need.
Lee Nourse
Lee Nourse