Thank you for visiting. If you are reading The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs, we are looking at Mary and Elizabeth in Chapter 4
this week, “O Tidings of Comfort and Joy.”
Have you ever had a God-moment—something you know was from
God—but didn’t know who to share it with? You want to tell someone who will be
excited, but not just excited for you. You want someone who will be excited with you…someone whose faith is strong
like yours, and will feel God in the
moment.
That doesn’t describe everyone. Some will not believe. Some
will listen with skepticism. Others will explain it away, giving reasons for
your news that have nothing to do with God. If you’ve ever shared a God-filled
moment with someone like this, you know how disappointing it can be. It feels
like something has been taken from you.
But when you have another believer to share with—someone who
walks in faith like you do—it makes your experience even more special.
For Mary, her person to share with was her relative,
Elizabeth. With anyone else, Mary would have had a lot of explaining to do,
criticism to listen to, and harsh words spoken about her. But when Gabriel told
Mary about Elizabeth and the miracle of her pregnancy, Mary knew—she needed to
share her news with Elizabeth.
A few days later Mary hurried
to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the
house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of
Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to
Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that
the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard
your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You
are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Luke 1:39-45 NLT
There was no need
for Mary to explain anything. Elizabeth knew. She felt God there with them and
she lived Mary’s excitement with her.
How incredible
that God thought of even that detail—someone for Mary to share with about the
miracle of carrying God’s own Son! At the very time Mary could’ve felt alone
with no one to talk to, God provided fellowship.
It’s no surprise
that God thinks of everything, but often, when I realize the depth to which God
cares for His children, I’m in awe all over again!
In Christ,
Laura
Photo credit: Stock photo: Friendship
Linking up with #TellHisStory,
Winsome Wednesday, WholeHearted Wednesdays, Thought Provoking Thursday, Faith Filled Friday, The Weekend Brew
This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I love the way that God knit together the hearts of these 2 women.
ReplyDeleteI haven't picked up Liz's book yet, but it's on my list. :)
Love it, I wrote about this too, and will be continuing the story till Christmas.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever had a friend who listens to God.
ReplyDeleteI do!
Sometimes she's surprised when she hears Him.
Not only does she listen she meditates on His message to her.
Sometimes she shares it publicly, i.e. blogs.
Sometimes she shares it with her daughter first.
Sometimes she visits with God about it before embracing it.
Sometimes she anticipates Him coming to her.
Sometimes she realizes how hard He is trying to reach her.
Sometimes she waits to hear from Him longer than she wants to,
When God told Mary of Elizabeth's news, and I think of her 9-10 day walk to embrace Elizabeth, I know it is possible to wait to share my news with just the right friend.
When I think of how Mary and Elizabeth both listened to God and embraced his message to them, I believe my friend has that quiet but open channel to God's whisper and nudges. And I thank God for sending me this friend who shares her friendship with God.
Laura~ you not only write with such passion but you also inspire others with your gift! God has blessed you, and my life take you to place you've never gone before!
ReplyDeleteMy photo and verse today is all about God delighting in the details of our life! Love this example in His word.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have been blessed by some very good friends, strong believers, who will share excitement about the Lord. And, they have also been there in tough times, too.
ReplyDeleteBut, the person who has always shared the closest Christian walk with me is my mom. She and I have walked all these many years together, and we have walked closely with our Savior, too.
GOD BLESS!