During this time of year we love to hear from distant relatives or friends, maybe through a Christmas Card or Facebook post. Here’s a Christmas Card that Mary’s cousin Elizabeth may have sent her (use your imagination!) …
Here’s how the Bible tells it: “In the days of Herod there was a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. But they had no children, for Elizabeth was barren. An angel appeared to Zechariah with news, saying ‘Zechariah, the Lord has heard your prayers and Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.'” (Luke 1:5-24)
A cool part of the Christmas story is all of the “background stuff” God was doing out of sight to bring His perfect plan into focus. I know the “miracle pregnancy” of Mary gets all the attention, but God did another miracle birth with John the Baptist.
Maybe this Christmas your prayers remain unanswered. Maybe this Christmas you feel out of touch with friends and family. Know this: God is working. Always, usually in the background, He is bringing His perfect plan together.
Prayer: “Dear God, thank You for being You. You are a God who cares and loves and finds ways to show that even in the darkness. We’d love to see more of Your hidden work revealed to us this Christmas. We do trust in Your timing. We do trust in Your character. For my friends and family, nearby and distant, I pray for your perfect plan to move forward in each of our lives. Amen.”