Advent Daily Devotional - Day 4
Luke 1:39-45 (NIV)
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leapt for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!”
Seven years ago I was pregnant. A baby that I never thought was going to be possible. Then came a word from God, a promise of a child and an encouragement to ‘be expectant’.
However, I suffered a miscarriage….
Was the word I heard from God real? Could I rely on the promise I had received?
I was blessed with falling pregnant again and my medical history meant I was given extra scans along the way. I got to see baby squirming, hear his heartbeat and witness his growth over the weeks until finally Isaac arrived in the world.
As I consider Elizabeth, a woman who had long given up any hope of having a child I wonder how confident she felt about the promise of her baby. It’s possible her periods had stopped long ago and with no scans available the only certainty would be when she felt that baby move inside her.
Whether this was the first time that Elizabeth had felt her baby move or not, the very definite leap inside her as John responded to the sound of Mary’s voice must have been a massive blessing and confirmation to Elizabeth that this precious gift from God was truly coming to fruition.
I also reflect on Mary, a young woman who is celebrated for her momentous ‘yes’ to God, despite the potential rejection of her future husband and the resulting scandal and gossip surrounding her pregnancy. And yet, I wonder, if after that life-changing and faithful ‘yes,’ the doubt started to creep in…
Did she hurry off to see Elizabeth, not only to get away from the gossip but also to see with her own eyes that Elizabeth was truly pregnant? As Mary gazes upon the swollen belly of her elderly cousin and greets her with renewed hope in her heart, John leaps. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and pours out affirmations over Mary, filling her heart with encouragement.
Through the friendship of these two women, God reminds, affirms and encourages each of them regarding the promises he had made over their lives.
Take a moment to reflect; are there promises that you have received from God for your life that you are yet to see fulfilled? Ask God today for the blessing of confirming those promises to you once again.
Today take a moment to thank God for those friendships in your life that he uses to bring and confirm his word in your life, and be open to God using you to be that confirmation for someone else!
Today’s devotional was created by Katie Wigley.