Daily Devotional Tuesday 26th December 2023
by William MoodyLuke 1:39–45
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be1 a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Footnotes
[1] 1:45
Or believed, for there will be (ESV)
Mary travels to visit her cousin Elizabeth who is also expecting. Part of this is surely to seek the counsel of an older believer which is always a wise course of action for younger believers. Mary does this with haste; she sees this course of action as urgent.
In days when we often divide the church into different age groups, we need to remember that we are one family. Believers have much to learn from believers from different generations.
John, a little babe in his mother’s womb jumps at the sound of the voice of his Saviour’s mother (v41). Through the work of God’s Spirit extraordinary things are happening. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit understands what is happening and utters a blessing to Mary, to Jesus and to herself (v42-45).
It is through the Holy Spirit that God draws near and it is through the work of the Holy Spirit that we experience God in our lives. We need to pray for this.
Elizabeth knows God is doing a great thing among them and wonderfully she has a part in this. It is a wonderful thing to know God is interested in us, is working in our lives and bringing His gracious blessing to us.
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