Believing God’s Word – Luke 1:39-45

In his article on learning how to prophesy, Tim Bader gives a definition of prophecy: “Prophecy is a message from God, spoken through one person, and shared with another. This message points both people – the speaker and the listener – back to God.”  That is certainly what is happening between Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Jesus.  And most importantly, there is a believing heart that receives God’s Word.

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 ESV)

Once Mary knew what God had done to create a life in her womb and that her relative Elizabeth had been given a chance in her old age to bear a child, she immediately went to visit her.  Elizabeth was 6-months along and living south of Nazareth on the other side of Samaria in Galilee, so this was a significant journey.

Elizabeth has a prophetic moment created by a filling with the Holy Spirit, Luke’s terminology for a sudden and temporary empowerment by the Spirit to proclaim the gospel.  Though it is possible Elizabeth had already heard news of Mary’s pregnancy it is unlikely.  Mary heard of Elizabeth’s pregnancy from the angel Gabriel and would not likely have sent a message to Elizabeth of such sensitive news.

Elizabeth knew immediately that Mary was pregnant and that the child in her womb had leapt for joy at Mary’s presence and the presence of the life inside Mary, which Elizabeth described as the life of her Lord, a testimony to Jesus’ deity.  Elizabeth blesses Mary for the privilege she has been given and because Mary believed the Lord’s word about this.

We will be blessed when we believe God’s word to us.  He says He loves us, that we are forgiven, that there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, that Jesus is coming back to restore the kingdom, that should we die before that we will be ushered into His presence in heaven.  Are you believing His Word as Mary did?