Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 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. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1: 39-45
Trust foundational to vulnerability
The scripture has no mention of Mary speaking to her parents about the angelic visitation, but it does tell us that Mary with haste went to see Elizabeth. Mary must have trusted Elizabeth deeply. This was a vulnerable time in her life, and she needed a safe person to share her peculiar situation with. She was carrying the news of being pregnant while still a virgin. The average person would have raised his/her eye-brows to the story of angelic visitation and declaring that she was pregnant by power of the Holy Spirit!
Mary must have known that Elizabeth would believe her words. She knew that she wasn’t going to be subject to Elizabeth’s eye brow raising or her integrity being questioned in such a defenseless time in her life.
When I am in my vulnerable times, I don’t look for a lot of people to share my story with. All I need is one or two trusted friends who are safe to share my predicament. I know they will not judge me or label me, but they will point me in the direction of truth and love.
Recognition of the call brought honor
God confirmed Mary’s pregnancy and defended her by allowing Elizabeth to speak prophetically about Mary’s situation. Elizabeth without foreknowledge of Mary’s pregnancy prophesied about Mary’s fruit of the womb. Then she declared her as the “mother of my Lord”. Wow! What a timely and accurate prophecy!
Can you imagine prophesying over your young teenage cousin whom you have known since she was in diapers!? Your young cousin is not married yet, but you hear the Lord saying that she is now the carrier of the savior of the world!!
If Elizabeth had ever treated Mary as her cute little cousin, that day all of that came to a sudden halt. That day was a beginning of a new season. Elizabeth showed her high regards and called Mary the “mother of her Lord”.
How long would it take us to recognize the call and the anointing of God with those that we are in close relationships with? One of the dangers of any close relationship is that we can easily become familiar with each other to the point that we can’t hear or perceive that someone’s season is about to change. We can no longer look at them or treat them the way we used to.
David had that problem as a shepherd boy. When Samuel came to choose one of Jesse’s sons as the future king of Israel, his father didn’t even bother to invite him to the party. At first, Samuel the prophet was even caught up with the birth order and military qualifications of Jesse’s older sons.
Confirmation and Encouragement
Elizabeth was so in tune with the Lord that her language became a language of honor towards Mary who a week prior was just considered her younger teenage cousin. Elizabeth knew that Mary’s baby was going to be the Lord. She recognized it, confirmed it, and was excited for her.
The destiny of the two babies was going to be very different. Elizabeth’s son, John the Baptist was going to be a forerunner to Jesus. Elizabeth’s husband was the priest, and they had been barren for a long time. However, God didn’t choose their son to be the Messiah but a forerunner to the Messiah. From Mary & Elizabeth’s interaction, the scripture doesn’t give us any hint of hesitation or jealousy on Elizabeth’s part. Elizabeth was honored to stand before Mary. Mary humbly looked to her cousin for the encouragement she so needed in this season of her life.
Praise God for Godly relationships where there is a mutual honor and submission. These relationships don’t cause turmoil or confusion in ones’ heart but affirm and confirm the true call of God without any flattery.
Lord, thank you for Godly relationships in our lives. Please continue to connect us with those who are part of our destiny, and we are part of theirs. Amen!