God's Word Confirmed
"And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."
– Luke 1:41
We have looked at Elizabeth and Mary’s lives separately during the Christmas season. We have seen how they were called, in their individual lives, to be part of the fulfillment of prophecy. Now we see them come together, and the Lord’s plan is further confirmed through their visit. The Bible is clear, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when John the Baptist leaped in her womb (Luke 1:41). It was right when Mary, the mother of our Savior, walked into the room. Their meeting, along with the Holy Spirit’s direction validating what was being told to them through the angel Gabriel.
As the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit (Romans 8:16), we also bear witness with one another (John 15:26-27). Through our godly relationships, the Lord’s words may be confirmed in our lives. We certainly see this as the case here with Mary and Elizabeth. God worked with them separately, then brought them together for the common goal of bringing its long-awaited Messiah into this world. Although God does not need us, He certainly chooses to use human instruments to fulfill sovereign plans.
Mary had complete faith and trust in the words spoken to her. In her praise to the Lord, we see this as she magnified His name (Luke 1:46-55). Elizabeth recognized Mary’s faith when she said, “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:45). Elizabeth knew what genuine trust looked like because of her experience with unbelief. Her husband, Zacharias, was mute because of his doubting (Luke 1:20). He was excluded at this time from sharing what the Lord was doing. What a great lesson for all of us. Whenever there is unbelief in our hearts, it may be better to keep our mouths closed on spiritual matters. We may end up misguiding others as Zacharias could have, rather than confirming God’s will as Elizabeth did. But when we are abiding in Christ, we come together to encourage one another through praise and God’s Word (Ephesians 5:19).
“Our Christian beliefs have been revealed by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the sacred Scriptures. Everything there is clear-cut and accurate. We dare not be less than accurate in our treatment of anything so precious.”
- A. W. Tozer