Blessed Is She

Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished! Luke 1:45 (NIV)

How can I become the woman Elizabeth is portraying in the verse above? Elizabeth, the woman described as Mary's relative, is who Mary visits and stays with for about three months during her pregnancy. She is excited to have Mary visit, and is also pregnant with her son, who will become John the Baptist. Elizabeth also fully acknowledges the one Mary is carrying in her womb, and she even refers to Mary carrying "her Lord" in Luke 1:43. The encouragement she gives to the young Mary is invaluable, and I am sure Mary, even though she has accepted what God has done in her life and how He has used her for His will, needed a friend like Elizabeth.

So, back to my original question and also an added one: how can I become like Mary, believing in the promises of God? How also can I be like Elizabeth, a comfort, encouragement and also a believer in God, no matter how unbelievable the circumstances? Elizabeth describes Mary as "blessed" for believing in God's plan, even before it is seen to fruition. I am sure Mary felt some trepidation, even though she believed. It would be hard to believe the plan, presented through an angel, no matter how strong Mary's faith was. But yet she did, as we all must do. She believed, and replied simply to the angel in verse 38, that it may be as the angel said. She only had one question for the angel before making that straightforward answer. She wanted to know how a child could be conceived as she was a virgin. The angel explained, and Mary accepted.

Why do I have such trouble, then, with less complex and magnanimous duties laid before me? Why do I agonize over small tasks? I need to remember the clear-cut answer of Mary, and the unbridled encouragement of Elizabeth. To remain plain with my responses to God's nudges, to accept them and carry them out, is how I should respond. To encourage and lift up those who have been given tasks, no matter how great or small, is how I should also respond. To truly be blessed, I must do as Elizabeth said above: to believe that what the Lord has said will be accomplished. It's as simple and yet demanding as that. But when I do, I will have peace knowing I am obedient, knowing that God is pleased, just as He was with His servant and daughter, Mary.

God, give me the strength You gave Mary, to do the task You have laid out before me, no matter how outrageous or how simple. Amen

Nikki Hamsher