Devotion:
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Read Luke 1:39-45, 56.
We can only guess at the details of this visit of Mary’s to her relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth was very old to be having a baby, and perhaps she sent for Mary to come and help her with her work around the house. Or did Mary make this trip simply to postpone the stares and accusations she would be confronted with from friends and family? It is prophetic to hear how the baby John lept with joy inside Elizabeth when the unborn baby Jesus came near him. John was already at work, announcing the coming of the Messiah into the world.
John’s joyful movement led Elizabeth to know that Mary was bearing God’s son, and she proclaimed that boldly to Mary. For Mary, this was total affirmation of her decision to carry this Son of God, conceived in her by the Holy Spirit. We can guess that Mary needed this assurance. From the timing, it appears that she stayed with Elizabeth until John was born and then returned to her home in Nazareth. No doubt Elizabeth was blessed by Mary’s visit, but we can also imagine how Elizabeth’s affirmation gave Mary courage as she returned home to face the accusations and jeers of others.
Personal Worship Option:
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