January 14 | Luke 1:26-56

Pamela Mann
Jan 14, 2025
2 min read

DAILY READING

Luke 1:26-56

REFLECTION

Promises

By Pam Mann

In a loud voice Elizabeth 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.

Amazing things are happening in Elizabeth’s life. At her advanced age, beyond belief, she is pregnant! As her belly swells, she knows her barrenness is past. What a marvel. Now her cousin, Mary, comes to visit. Mary has her own marvelous pregnancy story to tell. But Mary barely greets her cousin when Elizabeth exclaims her joy as she already grasps Mary’s situation. Not only does old Elizabeth know Mary’s good news, but also her unborn baby knows and leaps for joy!

Certainly, God’s Spirit is on the move. There are so many details that remain unknown to these two women, but this they know: God is on the move. He is not far off; He is not slow to act. He is present with us, and He is mighty to save. The long-awaited Messiah, the Christ, is coming. This is BIG. They currently don’t know the half of it, but they don’t need to know everything. They rejoice in the promise of what is to come.

Elizabeth continues her exclamation to Mary:

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Ponder this pronouncement for its import to every believer. God has a purpose for each of us. We are workers in His kingdom. Like Mary and Elizabeth, we don’t know how all the details will work out, but we can trust God to fulfill His promises. We, like Mary, can acknowledge our position as God’s servants and hold on for the ride!

This is BIG for us, too! What if we didn’t hold back? What if we opened ourselves to all that God

has for us, to the new ways that the Spirit has been nudging us to trust in God’s provision? What if we let go of the fears and doubts that keep us from our next step? What if we say yes to God and believe that He will take care of the details unknown to us and fulfill His promises?

PRAYER

Thank You, Lord, for Elizabeth and Mary, for their examples of trust. Give us their bold confidence, their joy in trusting You, and sweet fellowship along the way, such as they relished in each other. We are Your servants. We, too, cherish Your promises. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.