Believe in the Promise

My mom with my niece on her wedding day. 
So many promises to remember!

Scripture:

Luke 1:39    In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰ where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴² and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴ For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Observation:

The next scene in the unfolding drama of Christ’s birth comes as Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. The child who was to be the one preparing the way of the Lord, leaped in his mother’s womb. Already, it’s as if his role is apparent and his mother is an active participant in his ministry. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, which is fascinating because the day of Pentecost has not come. We find the presence of the Spirit throughout all of scripture and yet, there is a massive outpouring on the day the church is birthed. It seems that we seem glimpses of the Spirit-filled life that foreshadow that of a Spirit-filled believer after Pentecost. 

When filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth has the discernment to understand what it is that is happening to Mary. She speaks a blessing over her and the fruit of her womb. Filled with the Spirit, she is overcome by the presence of the Lord and responds out of great humility. She understands why the child has leapt in her womb and then she honors the faith of Mary and affirms her own faith. Two women, visited by angels because they would be used by God, they both believed in the promise that “there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 

A theme is beginning to develop here in Luke’s gospel. Again and again we will see this idea of joy and rejoicing at the arrival of God’s salvation. This is God breaking into the world with a promise, one which will be brought to fruition. Salvation is coming to the world. 

Application:

About a year ago I was sitting and talking with my dad. My mom had passed away about ten months earlier. He wanted to talk about heaven, and I said something about the “hope” of heaven. He instantly corrected me and said it’s not a “hope” — it’s the “promise” of heaven! He was right and he was awaiting his opportunity to live into that promise. 

This simple little verse, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord,” is filled with so much to consider. If we read the Scriptures we find all kinds of promises, and yet, I’m not sure that we believe them, and nor do we live like we believe them. Our lives would change considerably if we lived into the promises given to us by the God of all creation! 

We are in the season of advent and we have the promise of the Messiah. In this 21st century world that tries to explain everything away, do we have room left for faith in a baby who came to save us? I have a feeling that we have lost the sense that we need to be saved. If everything is permissible, why would there be any guilt of sin, or need for forgiveness? 

We must choose to believe in the promise, and then not just believe, but live like we believe. Both Elizabeth and Mary carried the promise within them, but even after these children were born, they lived into the promise. They believed that these boys were who the angel told them they were. Can you imagine!!! 

We have been promised the gift of the Savior — Jesus Christ. This isn’t just a promise for Christmas, but one into which we must live every day of our lives. 

“The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness—

on them light has shined.” Isaiah 9:2

Prayer:

Lord, may your grace lead me in the path of faith, every single day. Amen.