Have you ever taken the time to marvel at what God has done in your life? Can you look back on a moment in your life where you were overwhelmed by how good he is? Do you feel like you truly understand what it means to have the joy of the Lord, or does this seem like a foreign concept?
In this post, we’ll explore some women in the Bible who had moments when they were overwhelmed by the joy of the Lord, and we will see how they responded to God in those moments.
Most people know Mary as the mother of Jesus. She was a virgin to whom an angel appeared. She was told by the angel that she would give birth to the Messiah, despite being a virgin. There is so much we can learn from Mary about how to respond to God when he works in our lives, and we will explore that in this post.
Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, was also carrying a special child: John the Baptist, the prophet who would announce Jesus coming. When Mary was pregnant with Jesus, she went to visit Elizabeth. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the unborn John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s womb at the sound of the mother of the Messiah.
At this moment, Elizabeth became filled with the Holy Spirit. She began to exclaim, “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. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:41-45 NIV)
At this proclamation, Mary too became excited and responded with a passage of scripture that is often referred to as, “Mary’s Song.” I believe Mary too may have been filled with the Holy Spirit as she responded, though scripture does not explicitly state this.
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. [God] has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” – Luke 1:46-56 NIV
Can you imagine the joy these women must have felt in this passage of scripture? Both were carrying children that would change the world. Both had already witnessed miracles: Elizabeth was pregnant despite previously being barren. Mary was pregnant despite being a virgin. But this was only the beginning of the miracles these two women were certain to witness in their lives.
They must have experienced such a sense of purpose, knowing that God was using them to fulfill his promises to the world. In fulfilling his promises to the world, he was also fulfilling promises to them individually. I imagine Mary’s song was declared with so much happiness and so much awe of God and who he is.
While modern mothers are not carrying the Messiah or a major prophet in their belly, I believe that each of us can identify with Mary and Elizabeth. How has God been good to you? How has he fulfilled his promises in your life? What has he done that has made you marvel at his goodness?
For me, I am in awe of how God helped me overcome mental illness and gave me a husband, a daughter, and now a son on the way. When my daughter was born, I remember sitting on the couch nursing her at night and just being in awe of God. The verse in my mind was, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
(James 1:17 NIV) In this sweet moment, I understood Mary’s song of thankfulness. God had set me free and given me a rich, full life. It was truly a miracle that he worked in me.
Take a moment to remember what God has done for you. Has he set you free from something you once thought you would wrestle with forever? Did he give you an incredible spouse after years of waiting? Has he given you a child when you once thought you couldn’t have one? Remind yourself of his kindness and let it fill your heart with worship.
In the Bible, there’s another passage that reminds me of Mary’s song. In Psalm 40, King David is proclaiming God’s goodness and rejoicing at what he has done. This passage is another favorite of mine. I highly recommend you give it a read! I especially love The Message version of Psalm 40.
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