Luke 1:39-45
Blessings are favors from God in our lives. God blesses us in so many ways that we do not
deserve. Too many times we act as if
blessings are owed to us and we tend to complain when we do not get what we
think we deserve. Elizabeth did not have
this kind of attitude when Mary came to visit her. Shortly after Mary found out she would give birth
to Jesus and that Elizabeth was also pregnant with the prophet who was to be
the forerunner of Jesus; she went to pay her a visit. They were both in similar circumstances and I
am sure Mary was anxious to open her heart to her elder relative. It is a good thing for us to look for support
from one another when we face difficult circumstances in our lives. Today’s passage records Elizabeth’s words when
she heard Mary’s voice. The Bible tells
us that the Holy Spirit filled her so we can be assured that these words of
blessing come from the heart of a woman who was speaking on behalf of God.
HE IS BLESSED: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, John the
Baptist jumped in her womb. We have
already been told that John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit from the
womb so this reaction should not surprise us.
John has a love and reverence for Jesus from the womb and knew the he
was in the presence of Jesus even when they were still both in the womb. This is a clear proof of not only physical
but spiritual life of unborn babies.
Elizabeth begins by declaring that fact that the fruit of Mary’s womb
was blessed. Both Elizabeth and John
were made aware by the Spirit that filled them of the fact that they were in
the presence of Messiah. This is one of
the functions of the Holy Spirit in the world: to point people to Jesus. The greatest blessing that any of us can ever
have is to be in the presence of Jesus who was blessed by the Father as is
eternally exalted. The proper response
of anyone who is in the presence of Jesus is reverence and worship. Jesus is the most blessed man who has ever
lived He must be the focus of our attention and the object of our worship. We have no choice and no higher calling than
to proclaim His greatness to all the nations.
Just as John and Elizabeth responded to His presence by declaring His
greatness; we must proclaim the blessedness of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
I AM BLESSED: When Elizabeth realized that the mother of her
Lord was coming into her home; she was overwhelmed with a sense of
unworthiness. She was not consumed by
pride over her special role in God’s plan of redemption. She was not jealous of Mary’s role. She was simply blessed by the fact that her
Lord Jesus, the Messiah was about to come into her home while in Mary’s
womb. It is wrong for us to that the
presence of Jesus lightly or for granted.
We must always stand in awe of who He is and humbly bow before Him in
reverence and wonder that we are privileged to be in a relationship with
Him. God does not need us. He loves us.
He is glorified and pleased by our worship. However, we in no way complete Him or are
needed by Him. We are the ones who
desperately need Him and should jump for joy at the blessing it is for us to
know Him and be loved by Him. There
ought to be no room for complaining in the presence of Jesus. When we complain we are, in essence, saying
that we deserve more than we have.
Instead, our hearts should be full of blessing and gratitude which is
saying that God has given us far more than we deserve. No matter what we might be facing in our
lives. No matter how small or large our
role is in what God is calling us to do.
We must learn to echo the words of Elizabeth: “I am blessed!”
YOU ARE BLESSED: Elizabeth is also quick to point out to
Mary just how blessed she is to have been chosen as the mother of Messiah. Elizabeth reveals to us one of the reasons
that Mary was chosen for this privilege.
She says that Mary believed that God was going to send the Messiah. God had made this promise long ago and He had
repeated it through the prophets.
However, many of the people who lived in Mary’s day had stopped
believing that it would actually come to pass.
Instead of waiting and praying for the coming of Messiah they began do
doubt and live as if God would never fulfill the promises of His Word. This is the same thing that is happening all
around us today. There are still many
promises about Jesus and His coming that are in the future. However, the long period of time between the
first and second comings of Christ has caused many to forget, doubt or lose
hope in these promises. Instead of
looking forward to His return and doing all they can to prepare themselves and
others for the glorious day; they are living as if He will never come
back. This is a grave mistake. Mary believed the promises of God; lived in
light of the promise of God and was greatly used in the plan of God. Make no mistake it is a great blessing to be
a part of what God is doing in the world.
Certainly, it was not easy or convenient for Mary to fulfill her role;
but because she lived with faith in God’s Word she realized what an honor it
was. We can never be so caught up in our
plans and schedules that we are not willing to be blessed of God by taking part
in His plan.
APPLICATION: We must worship and stand in awe of the
presence of Jesus in our lives. We must
stop complaining about our circumstances and recognize the blessings of God
with intense gratitude in our hearts. We
must never stop believing and living in light of the promises of God. When we worship Him, are thankful to Him and
believe in Him we will truly be blessed.
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