After Mary heard the amazing news from Gabriel she went to spend time with her cousin Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's voice her baby jumped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. It had to be a comfort for Mary when Elizabeth said "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!" I wonder how Mary felt during the journey to Elizabeth's house. When she got a heart felt confirmation from someone she probably looked up to, it must have calmed her soul.
Elizabeth could have been jealous of Mary for giving birth to Jesus. She was given a miracle of having a baby in her old age that was significant in the history of the world. Although it might have been overshadowed by Mary giving birth to Jesus. Are we really happy for others when something good happens to them? Even if it's something that we really want? Elizabeth was truly happy for Mary. Elizabeth responded to Mary's confusion "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
Mary starts singing, she was joyful. Do we sing praises back to God? v. 48 looks like Mary is being prideful when she sings "From now on all generations will call me blessed". I think she knew the significance of what would happen and she accepted God's gift. Don't deny, belittle, or ignore your gifts. Thank God for them and use them for His glory.
v. 80 says that John the Baptist lived in the desert until he appeared in Israel. NIV study notes says that prophets used to isolate themselves in the desert to enhance their spiritual growth and focus on the message of God. John also remained away from all of the political and economic powers and hypocritical religious leaders so he could aim his message at them.
Do we have to go to the desert? No, but it wouldn't hurt to make it a priority to spend time with God daily and even get away for a day or two just by yourself to dive into the word with no distractions. Being in this incredibly busy world can make it nearly impossible to spend even a few minutes in the Word. If I'm not in the word daily I start to notice that my fuse gets shorter and I just don't feel grounded. I write it on my calendar every day. Some times I miss a day. I don't beat myself up, I just continue on. There is no room for guilt here. You don't get gold stars for how many days you read your bible. This is a relationship not a race.
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