“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 leaped 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 favored, 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 leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1.39-45
Here is the edited version with spelling and grammar corrections, maintaining the original tone and message:
It’s not often that two women, cousins thirty years apart, who weren’t planning to have babies, become pregnant within five months of each other. Add to that the fact that one is a virgin and the other is too old to conceive—you know God is up to something extraordinary!
Mary and Elizabeth were given the greatest gifts on earth: to be mothers. Not only were they bearing sons who would be cousins, but these boys would grow up together—both filled with the Holy Spirit. One would save the world from its sins, and the other would spiritually prepare the people for His arrival.
We know the boys were part of God’s plan, His prophecy, His strategy to save the world, as foretold throughout Scripture. How awesome that what God said would happen did happen, and this holy meeting between Mary, the future mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, the future mother of John, came to pass.
When the two mothers met, something extraordinary happened. Elizabeth’s baby, John, leapt in her womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. After the Holy Spirit filled her, she began to make a declaration to Mary about Jesus. She called her “blessed among women” and said, “Blessed is the child.” And, “Blessed is the one who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!”
If we allow it, if we believe, if we wait for God, He will bless us too. His Word is true, and His promises for us are true. He will bless us if we choose to follow and believe in Jesus. Our lives can be full of joy, meaning, and purpose when we put our hope in God.
Choosing to live with and for God will result in our being blessed.
Are you living for and with God? Are you allowing the fullness of His blessings to reach your heart? Are you believing His blessings are for your good? Turn back to God. Allow faith to fill you. Allow the goodness of God to dwell richly in your heart this day and the next.
“O Lord God, I am surrounded by Your Presence, filled with Your Holy Spirit, pressed upon by Your blessings. Sometimes I choose to believe and receive this! Sometimes I ignore it. But today, I will live in the joy of the One who overcame sin and death so I might have life. I will not dwell in darkness but live in the light of the Lord. Thank You, Lord, for saving me, for the grace poured upon my heart, for indwelling my soul with Your goodness. For You are good, and Your love endures forever.” Amen