“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” (Luke 1:39-42 NIV)
There are times in the Bible where characters meet up with no indication of the precursory events bringing them to that moment. It seems as though the Spirit puts them on a path and then suddenly their conversation is recorded in scripture.
Moses and his brother shared such a moment. Exodus 4 pulls the curtain back on Moses’ side of the story but in verse 14 we learn that Aaron was already in route. How did God motivate Aaron to leave Goshen? How did a lifelong slave bow out on his work commitments? What possessed him to take a cross-country trek to a long-lost, barely-known brother? We can read and wonder, but much of Aaron’s back story is simply out of reach. Excluded froth text. It’s a tale we’ll hear one day from the Teacher Himself. I imagine Heaven will include a lot of catching up. 🙂
This encounter between Mary and Elizabeth reads similarly. We know God was doing really cool things in both lady’s lives, but we don’t know exactly what caused Mary to hurry the sixty-five or more miles to Elizabeth’s house. She couldn’t take an Uber, it’s likely she walked that entire way, probably with a caravan but certainly not a simple journey. We have questions. Were Mary and Elizabeth close? Was Elizabeth a favorite aunt? Had news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy made it’s way to Nazareth? (Remember, Elizabeth kept her condition hidden for the first five months.) No postal system, wi-fi or long distance calling plans served ancient Judea. Word of mouth or hand delivery were the only ways news traveled across the miles. We don’t know how these newly-expectant women decided to get together, but we see in the first few moments of their exchange that the Spirit of God prevailed in their relationship and He had extraordinary plans for these them both.
The baby within Elizabeth leapt at Mary’s greeting. Elizabeth was immediately overflowing with the Holy Spirit and announced the blessing of Mary and her still-secret pregnancy. We can’t reduce this to woman’s intuition; Elizabeth and Mary weren’t in the room long enough for Elizabeth to arrive at this conclusion through observation. It’s not as though Mary walked in the door with an EPT test in hand. The Spirit of God came on Elizabeth and her unborn child and the revelation of God followed. In a single Spirit-filled moment, Elizabeth confirmed the validity of Mary’s conception, commitment, turmoil and calling. The Spirit of God had created a safe space for Mary to process the fear and wonder of what was happening to her.
The truth is, we need each other. In times of surprise, sorrow and joy. In crisis and in the mundane of the day to day. I’ve heard this passage preached with the focus on mentorship: every Mary needs an Elizabeth and every Elizabeth needs a Mary. While there is great merit in that observation, perhaps also we realize the need for Spirit-filled friends.
We need women who respond to the nudge of the Spirit when He says “Take a sixty-five mile trek” or “Call your friend.” We need women who will pray in their prayer language over our children, marriages and lives. We need woman who will give God-counsel in our challenging-confusing circumstances. We need women who will hold us accountable to our callings and remain intolerant of our sin tendencies. Spirit-filled friendships are a great gift from a good God; designed to support us emotionally, physically and spiritually as we grow into the godly women we were created to be.
I love this passage because in a single moment, God revealed to Elizabeth the mayhem and the miracle that was happening in Mary’s heart. They could cut through the periphery and get right to the crucial. And, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, God was in their midst.
“In a loud voice she exclaimed: 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? 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!” (Luke 1:42-45 NIV)
Spirit-filled friendships create safe spaces for processing and praising. The Spirit guards us against personal bias and agenda. He endlessly works to bring attention to the Savior and the promises of God. He is the Comforter, speaking words of hope and healing into our saddest and scariest seasons. He rejoices alongside us in moments of revelation and elation. He promotes understanding and empathy: two things the world is in desperate need of. He brings depth and beauty to our earthly relationships and a measure of God’s heart into every conversation.
Lord, today I am thankful for my Spirit-filled friendships. I don’t know who or where I’d be without them. These people have helped carry me through some impossible situations: the Spirit of God has made them mighty in my life. I pray for my readers today. Send them friends who are strong in the Spirit. Bolster them with charismatic connections: friends who will pray, encourage, correct and edify. Be present in these relationships and powerful in our lives. Amen.
Thank you the most touching article yet.
Of course. It got me, too. I had to make some phone calls and send some texts. Even though my friends are all far away in this pandemic, my gratitude for them is great. <3 Merry Christmas!