Daily Devotional for Thursday 14th December
Mary visits Elizabeth
These passages show that Mary goes to visit Elizabeth.
Without anything other than a greeting Elizabeth is instantly filled with the Holy Spirit and her baby leaps in her womb. Look at how God works without words even being spoken! The Holy Spirit lets Elizabeth know the importance of the child Mary will carry without Mary having to say a single word.
Elizabeth already knows before being told by Mary that Mary will be the mother of the Lord and that she will bear the child of God. Not only does Elizabeth know, but her unborn child too as the baby leaps in the womb.
The baby Elizabeth is carrying is so longed for and sought after, Elizabeth could’ve felt a bit upset that Mary is chosen to carry God’s child, especially since it was Gabriel who came to tell Zechariah that his wife would have the baby they so longed for and that God had helped this happen. But instead, she showed pure joy and excitement for Mary. This shows us how Elizabeth’s faith in God was that of love and happiness.
We can sometimes feel the pangs of jealousy or upset at other people’s good news, but we can also remember that God has plans for all of us at various times. We need to put our faith in Him and help others celebrate their news with joy and love, just as Elizabeth did for Mary.
Time to reflect…
1. Let’s take a moment to remember how powerful and great the Holy Spirit can be within our lives. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit into our lives and help channel this love to others.
2. Have there been times in our lives when other people’s good news has made us feel upset or jealous of their situations? What can we do to move forward and release these feelings to help celebrate happiness instead?
Pause to pray…
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this wonderful story and how it is unfolding. We give praise in Your name at how powerful You are, through the Holy Spirit. Fill us with your Holy Spirit as we remember and share this news with others in the run-up to Christmas. Help us to be happy and thankful for other people’s news, help us to remember that our life plans are mapped out through You, and give us the peace and patience to wait for our good news to come.
In Jesus name
Amen.
