Once Gabriel left Mary, I imagine reality began to come into focus. What would Joseph say? How would she explain this to her parents…would they ever believer her? Did she even fully believe the full impact of what she had just heard?
Then she remembered the last part of Gabriel’s message to her: Elizabeth was also going to have a baby! Well, she thought, if anyone is going to understand what I am experiencing and the questions I have, it is Elizabeth. Perhaps it’s time for a visit!
We do not know what Elizabeth knew before Mary arrived, but we do know that as Mary and Elizabeth approached one another, something spectacular occurred: Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb! Elizabeth went on to bless Mary for her trust and acceptance of this gift from God and, most interestingly, recognized that the visit from Mary was a visit from the mother of her Lord. The last section of this portion of Scripture is a beautiful outpouring of Mary’s heart as she praised God for all that was happening and it is clear from this song of praise that Mary truly understood who her son was sent to be.
I wonder about Mary’s journey home from her visit with Elizabeth. Did the conviction which came across in the song of praise remain as she parted from people who understood her situation? As she parted from Elizabeth, did Mary leave with a new confidence that somehow Joseph would understand? Did she ever have nights of worry that she wouldn’t be able to let go when God called her to? As she tucked herself into bed at night, was Mary ever able to truly say even so, come Lord Jesus?
(Note: the above is original content written by this author in 2004. I suggest having a journal and Bible on-hand when you sit down with this devotional in order to complete the full aspects of it.)