December 26 Devotion - Blessed is She Who Believed

 

Now Maryam* arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Maryam, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

 

وَفِي تِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ، قَامَتْ مَرْيَمُ وَذَهَبَتْ مُسْرِعَةً إِلَى الْجِبَالِ، قَاصِدَةً إِلَى مَدِينَةٍ مِنْ مُدُنِ يَهُوذَا. 

 40 فَدَخَلَتْ بَيْتَ زَكَرِيَّا وَسَلَّمَتْ عَلَى أَلِيصَابَاتَ.

 41 وَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ أَلِيصَابَاتُ سَلاَمَ مَرْيَمَ، قَفَزَ الْجَنِينُ دَاخِلَ بَطْنِهَا. وَامْتَلَأَتْ أَلِيصَابَاتُ مِنَ الرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ،

 42 وَهَتَفَتْ بِصَوْتٍ عَالٍ قَائِلَةٍ: «مُبَارَكَةٌ أَنْتِ بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ! وَمُبَارَكَةٌ ثَمَرَةُ بَطْنِكِ!

 43 فَمِنْ أَيْنَ لِي هَذَا: أَنْ تَأْتِيَ إِلَيَّ أُمُّ رَبِّي؟

 44 فَإِنَّهُ مَا إِنْ وَقَعَ صَوْتُ سَلاَمِكِ فِي أُذُنَيَّ حَتَّى قَفَزَ الْجَنِينُ ابْتِهَاجاً فِي بَطْنِي:

 45 فَطُوبَى لِلَّتِي آمَنَتْ أَنَّهُ سَيَتِمُّ مَا قِيلَ لَهَا مِنْ قِبَلِ الرَّبِّ! »

 

 * Jesus spoke Aramaic. In Aramaic His mother’s name is Maryam.

Luke 1:39-45

We know from the above Bible verses that Maryam went to visit Elizabeth. The open question to me is why did Maryam decide to travel while pregnant to visit Elizabeth?  The outcome of the visit was beneficial to Maryam; and all of us; because the welcome which Elizabeth, by the Spirit of prophecy, gave to Maryam, the mother of our Lord; was not as to a common friend making a common visit, but as to one of whom the Messiah was to be born. Obviously, the visit was also beneficial to Elizabeth too. The answer to my question of why may be: that it was a visit created and made possible by The Holy Spirit.

A lesson that we can learn could be as follows:  It is very beneficial for those of us that grace has begun in their souls, and Christ is in the forming there, to consult those who are in the same condition, that they may communicate experiences one to another; Christian to Christian.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for loving me with a deep and everlasting love. Lord, You blessed Maryam, the Mother of Jesus, and did great things for her. Help me Lord to learn from the mother of our Lord to be humble and to get rid of all pride within me. Lord I join the blessed mother of our Lord Jesus in saying: ‘My soul magnifies You God and my spirit rejoices in my Saviour’. Teach me to hear Your voice God and to believe in the fulfillment of the things which I will hear from You. Father God thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, to Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein