Sing: Joy to the World
Last week, we looked at the momentous event when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that would have a child. After Mary expressed her confusion at the news, she responded to the angel by saying, “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Let’s pick up that text and see what happened next.
Luke 1:39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
There is so much to notice in this account of her visit with Elizabeth.
After the angel left her, the text tells us that Mary, “at this time,” left for her cousin’s home. I think that means that she went right away. It even says that she hurried. She arrived at Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home and as soon as she says hello, what does Elizabeth say? Her baby leaps in her womb and she says, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
How did Elizabeth know Mary was pregnant and that the baby was the Lord? Verse 41 tells us she was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” God must have spoken to her. Her husband was a priest in the temple, and scripture says, in Luke 1:6, “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.”
Right before she spoke, her baby leapt inside of her. I love that she assumed the baby was leaping for joy! If she herself was not full of joy, she would not have assumed that was why the baby leapt. When the baby leapt inside of her, she might have been concerned and worried. Especially since she is beyond the age of normal childbearing. Having been pregnant a few times, I can tell you it can be very uncomfortable to have the baby move abruptly. If a baby leapt inside, you would definitely feel that very strongly! Elizabeth was full of joy and so she interpreted the baby leaping as a joyful response- which we know from the rest of the story was the correct interpretation.
When Elizabeth told Mary this, it seems like it confirmed to Mary what the angel had told her. I say that because then Mary breaks into song! And it is not an ordinary song. It is a song of testimony to the greatness of God. Mary, full of confidence in what the angel told her, was filled with joy. She sang a song of praise to glorify the Lord. If she had doubted or been worried, she could not have experienced this joy.
This tells me a couple of things:
First, it shows us that we need other believers to encourage us and confirm the things God speaks to us. All of us believers collectively form the Body of Christ. We need one another to encourage us and build us up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
It is interesting to me that Mary didn’t sing her song until after Elizabeth prophesied to her. She encouraged her and confirmed what the Lord told her and then Mary broke into song.
That tells me we should seek out people who follow the Lord. After the angel appeared to her, Mary took off first thing to her cousin’s house. She obviously knew that Elizabeth was devoted to God. And she knew that Elizabeth was also expecting because the angel had told her. She sought her out on purpose. She went to someone who would help her. Maybe she wanted to tell Elizabeth what the angel said. Maybe she even wanted Elizabeth’s opinion? What we know for certain is she hurried to her home.
We most likely won’t have angels appearing to us, but we should expect to hear from the Lord. When the Lord tells us something, what do we do with that information? It can be very beneficial to share what the Lord has told us with a fellow believer, not only so they can encourage us, but so we can check that what we think is from the Lord is truly from the Lord. That way, if someone hears from the Lord, for example, that they should leave their spouse or something, then that other person could help then discern that it was not the Lord whom they heard from after all.
At the same time, we should be careful who we tell and who we go to for help. If we tell the wrong person, they can end up discouraging us and steering us in the wrong direction. In my own life, that has happened to me before. When I was in Bible College, I felt like the Lord was telling me to go on a mission trip to Amsterdam for the summer. I spoke to one of my professors about it and he told me that I should instead go to a church that could provide money for my return to school, rather than spend money going on a mission’s trip. I let his advice, and my doubt of God’s ability to provide, influence me. I turned down the mission trip and instead took the “safe” route. I learned a valuable lesson, though. I learned not to listen to other people’s fear, and I learned not to make decisions based on money.
Other times, I have sought out the advice of believers and they have greatly encouraged me and built up my faith. The key, I think, is seeking out believers who are living their own lives in faith. Weak believers will offer weak advice. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” But something soft can’t sharpen another knife. It would actually make it worse.
And just like we need other believers to encourage us, we should be an encouragement to others. The Lord can give us words of encouragement for other people. It is good to be reading Scripture every day and work at memorizing it. That way, when we talk with someone, those verses can be at the ready to encourage and uplift another in their faith. That way we aren’t just spouting our own ideas and thoughts, but rather what the Word of the Lord says.
The second key thing this account of Mary’s visit by the angel tells me is when we place our trust in God, we can experience peace and joy. Again, we see Mary burst into song, after it seems like she has fully embraced the news of her miraculous pregnancy. Elizabeth confirms everything that she was told and now she sings for joy! Mary experienced peace by submitting to the Lord’s will, and then when she arrives at Elizabeth’s, her joy comes to fruition.
We also can see, by reading Mary’s account, that it’s ok to wrestle with something God speaks to us. Sometimes we have to process things He tells us. Sometimes the truth He reveals to us in His word takes a while to work itself through our brain to our heart. It’s ok to wrestle, but it’s so much better to trust Him, because once we trust Him, then we can experience peace and joy.
When we look to the future through eyes of fear, worry, or doubt, it robs us of joy in our present circumstances. Zechariah is a perfect example of this. What would his story have been like if he had immediately believed the angel Gabriel? The way it went, he lost his ability to speak. This first chapter of Luke concludes with the rest of his story:
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
If he had believed immediately, do you think he might have sung this song immediately? At the least, I assume he would have saved himself the trouble of losing his voice.
Is that why Jesus tells us to just worry about today and not worry about the future? He says, in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” By doubting the Lord, often times we bring more trouble to ourselves. Where if we just trusted Him immediately, then we’d save ourselves, not only the needless worry but also any problems our delay of trust brings.
Philippians 4:4 tells us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” We can have joy always, in every moment, if we have hope in Him.
This third week of advent, we light the candle of joy. May it remind us of the joy that comes from placing our hope in our coming Lord. Like Mary, as we say yes to all that the Lord tells us, may we be filled with songs of praise to our magnificent God.
Sing: Silent Night
Pray: My soul glorifies You Lord, and my spirit rejoices in You, God my Savior. For You, the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is Your name. Your mercy extends to those who fear You, from generation to generation. You have performed mighty deeds with Your arm. Thank You for filling us with good things. Thank You for remembering to be merciful. Help us, Holy Spirit, to listen and obey Your word to us, so we can respond with joy and praise. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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