Day 17 — Tuesday, December 14, 2021

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Luke 1:39–45


Even when God whispers His sacred voice into our spiritual ears, we can often doubt his plans and purposes for us. We often focus on frailties, shortcomings and deeply ingrained insecurities. Perhaps Mary was feeling these things during this time. Doubting the awesome purpose she had been called to fulfill. Not only would she have a divine virgin birth, but that she would birth the eternal Savior of the world.

In those moments of doubt, when we know the Godly plans for us (which often do not align to human and secular expectations and reasonings), God connects us with His people. In today’s passage, Elizabeth speaks a confirming word — Mary, you are blessed; the fruit of your womb is blessed. When these words were spoken, maybe they acted to erase some of the doubt Mary may have been feeling. With these words of divine confirmation, perhaps Mary recognized that God’s plan for her would be enacted via His power in and onto her life.

Let us pray to remind ourselves that God’s plan and purposes for our lives are possible through His power that conquers every frailty and weakness that we humbly submit to Him. Let us give thanks for the “Elizabeths” that speak Godly confirmations to us, helping us realize that God has chosen us for His awesome purpose and plans.

Dr. Gerald Griffin is the interim provost at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Subscribe to daily Advent emails

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *