Our Constant Star: Advent Day 11

Read & Journal

Read Luke 1:39-45. Dig a little deeper into what you’ve read:

• What does this passage teach you about Jesus? Be specific.

• If you were telling a friend about this passage, how would you explain what happened? Jot it down in your own words.

• Reread verses 42-45. What do these verses teach you about Jesus, his character or his mission? What do they teach you about Elizabeth and the kind of person she was? What do they reveal about Mary and her faith?

• John the Baptist was to be the forerunner of the Messiah, announcing Jesus’ presence to the world. How do you see that role being played out in this passage, even before John and Jesus were born?

• Mary was blessed, Elizabeth said, because of the child she carried in her womb and her faith that God would and could do all that he had said. When have you walked in faith like that, believing God was able to do all that he has promised? When have you seen someone else exercise that kind of faith? What did you learn about yourself? About God?

Ponder

You put our human vesture on

And came to us as Mary's son.

Elizabeth, of all people, knew a miracle when she saw one. After all, she was an old, barren woman carrying her first baby to term long after everyone around her had given up hope that she and Zechariah would ever have children. She knew that after all those years of waiting, hoping and praying, her pregnancy was something only God could have made possible. And when she saw her young relative Mary, Elizabeth, with the help of the Holy Spirit, understood she was getting a front row seat to the amazing story of redemption God was carefully unfolding.

When Elizabeth saw Mary, Scripture tells us that John “leaped” in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Twice, she calls Mary blessed—once because Mary is the mother of the Messiah (vv. 42-43) and again because Mary had believed God’s promise. When God had spoken, Mary had believed he could do what he said.

We live in a world where promises don’t always mean much. People make promises they don’t intend to keep or treat them flippantly, like promises or vows don’t matter. And there are times when I’ve found myself acting like God’s promises are like the world’s—don’t get your hopes up too high because you’ll just be disappointed.

What a lack of faith! Through his Word, through the Holy Spirit, through his church, God shows us his character again and again. He is faithful and true. His word does not return void (Isa. 55:11). The promises that God has made, the plans he has set forth in this world? They will come to fruition. What he says, God does.

God’s promises aren’t like the world’s, careless words spoken with no intention of following through. He is faithful. He is powerful. His promises are true. Like Mary, let your faith lead you into obedience today, even if it makes no sense to the world around you.