God Gives Us Friends
“And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Luke 1:36-37
The Lord had called Mary to a hard task. An impossible task. Mary was called to trust in God that a miracle was taking place that she would not see come to fruition for 9 months. We can imagine how afraid she must have been, how alone she must have felt. While God sent a celestial being to proclaim his will to Mary, he also sent her confirmation in the form of a friend. A human friend. Elizabeth.
I love this account because God could certainly call any one of us to any impossible hard calling at any time. He’s God. He commands the stars, sets into motion all of creation, he has shown us grace and mercy over and over again. Surely he has the right to call us to obedience in anything he would see fit to call us to, right? Yet his loving, caring, relational heart is revealed so clearly in the angel’s message to Mary that her relative, Elizabeth, is pregnant.
Can you put yourself in Mary’s shoes? Imagine how you would feel at the announcement of an angel that you, a humble girl with no wealth to speak of, would give birth to the King of Kings, that your son’s kingdom would have no end (Luke 1:33). Now imagine that the same messenger gave you news that your barren cousin was pregnant. How anxious would you be to go and see her and find out for yourself if it was true?
Can you imagine Mary’s relief and joy at seeing Elizabeth’s big, pregnant belly? What an amazing confirmation that must have been for her! The Lord did not leave Mary alone on this earth, he gave her support and encouragement in the form of a friend. Someone who understood what she was going through when no one else ever could; someone ready to praise God and rejoice with her in a situation others wouldn’t understand.
Who is that friend to you? Who has God put in your life that helps you see his hand at work? Who sees the work God is doing in and through you and encourages you? Who are you being this friend to? Who do you know that may be scared and discouraged and could use a reminder of God’s grace and call on their life?
The Lord does not intend for us to walk this life alone. It is such a kindness of his to give us others to walk this life with, to provide confirmation when we are called to obey in the most impossible ways. Those to confirm the miracle that others will doubt. Those to remind us that there is a redeemer, a King, a hope and future, in Jesus.
