“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
Luke 1:35-37
Within our limited knowledge, capacity and belief system, the miracle of Christ Jesus seems impossible. Everything surrounding the birth of Jesus was filled with impossibilities.
- God lowered Himself to come in human form on this earth.
- God used a virgin teenager to bear the Savior of the world.
- A barren woman, Elizabeth, was the honored vessel God worked through to birth John the Baptist, the prophetic voice announcing the arrival of Christ.
In fact, the entire arrival of Jesus to earth, His ministry, death and resurrection was fully and completely a miracle.
And Mary and Elizabeth had the honor of being a part of this world changing dispensation.
This is what happens when the Holy Spirit “overshadows” humanity. People are no longer limited by human flesh but can be participants of God’s great miracles. A young, overlooked teenager became the woman who birth the Son of God. Elizabeth, a barren woman, mothered the prophet who ushered in the ministry of Jesus.
And you and me??? What will our story be as we welcome the Holy Spirit to overshadow our lives?
We are able to have a front row seat to God’s miraculous work as we believe that “no word from God will ever fail.” (Luke 1:37) It’s His Spirit alone working through mankind that reveals His glory and majesty to this world.
Our role is to believe God at His word. It’s so simple, yet we find ourselves more willing to believe in ourselves than in our Creator.
As Mary arrived to visit Elizabeth, John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb at the arrival of pregnant Mary. Even in utero, the baby John was announcing the coming of the Savior of the world. Elizabeth’s words couldn’t have been more profound.
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:45
The Christmas season is always a beautiful time to remember the promises of God to a broken and weary world. It serves as a powerful reminder to believe that the Lord has fulfilled and will continue to fulfill His promises. And His promises are so very good!
May we continue to live…
Rooted in Him,
