Have you ever encountered the phrase, “Blessed is she who believes that the Lord will fulfill His promises to her!”? This impactful statement has endured over time and remains relevant in our contemporary lives. Unlike many other quotes you may find online, this particular saying has a profound heritage and resonates with those who maintain faith in God’s promises to them. Bearing this in mind, what exactly does it mean to have faith in the promises of God?
The Bible is a great place to start if you want to learn more about the strength of faith and trust. Scripture passages like Romans 1:17, Hebrews 12:1-2, and Luke 1:45 can shed light on the importance of belief and how it can change our lives. We can also learn how Mary handled difficulties while maintaining her steadfast faith in God’s plan by studying her Song of Praise.
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Elizabeth: Mother Of John The Baptist
The life of Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother and Mary’s cousin, is a testament to the grace and beauty of God. Elizabeth’s renowned phrase, “Blessed is she who believes that the Lord will do all His promises to her” (Luke 1:45), captures her unwavering faith in God’s promises despite dealing with the pain of infertility and pressure from society to have children.
Elizabeth motivates Christians to remain faithful to God in a society that measures success by financial factors and societal standards through her humility and her efforts to foster belief in God’s plan. Her experience serves as a reminder that God blesses us in unexpected ways and that we should trust in him even when we don’t comprehend his ways.
Thus, let Elizabeth’s story serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for us to maintain our great faith despite the challenges we encounter.
The Promise Is Fulfilled: Mary And The Angel Gabriel
God intentionally chose the blessed Mary to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Her faith and obedience to the Lord were evident from the moment she met the angel Gabriel. Mary willingly submitted herself to God’s plan, believing that it was his desire, despite the great responsibility and probable risk of bearing the world’s Savior.
Years Between The New And The Old Testament
Before Gabriel appeared to Mary, the world was silent, full of sin, and ruled by an unjust law. It took 400 years to get from the Old to the New Testament. It had been several years since the last prophet had spoken the Word of God to the people.
In the last 400 years before the angel spoke to the blessed Mary to tell her that the promises of God would be accomplished, prophecies from the Old Testament had been gradually coming to pass before the birth of Christ.
The Promise Explained
The verse in Luke 1:31–33 reads that Mary will give birth to a boy whom she will conceive and who will be named Jesus. He will reign over Israel, replacing David on his throne, and his kingdom will not end. The angel told the blessed virgin in the Book of Luke that she was to carry the Messiah within her.
“But how can this happen? I’m a virgin.” She seeks an explanation with a humble question about the things that she needs to do to accomplish God’s promises. As a reply to the question, Gabriel’s explanation emphasizes that the promise will be accomplished through immaculate conception. He emphasized that the Lord God would impregnate the blessed Mary and fill her with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Gabriel informs Mary of her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Knowing the prophecy already, the Jewish people understood that no matter how the situation appeared, John the Baptist, a prophet with the spirit of Elijah, would precede the Savior. Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a moment of confirmation that the Lord would fulfill his promises.
The Dilemma With The Promise
From our perspective, it may not be a huge surprise that Mary decides to become pregnant with the long-awaited Messiah, who shall be called Immanuel. However, as history shows, deciding to bear the blessed child Jesus for the fulfillment of the promises of God was a brave act that favored the world over herself. If we are to put ourselves in the position of Mary, it may be one of the hardest moments in anybody’s earthly life.
According to the circumstances, Mary was engaged to Joseph, the man she loved. She was a virtuous young woman who was devoted to her faith in the Lord. Being pregnant during this time, on the other hand, is a bad omen and would cost her a lot of money, even if she had Jesus, the Child of God and Creator of Heaven and Earth.
In the performance of God’s promises, Mary must play the earthly parent of Jesus, but this would ruin her reputation and her marriage. The role would make her life more difficult for her and her baby, as people would likely ostracize her. Mary knew from the beginning that if she accepted the role, she must be ready to endure the expected hardships that may come her way.
Nevertheless, without fear or hesitation, she said to the messenger of God (found in Luke 1:38), “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said be fulfilled.”
Blessed Is She Who Believes That The Lord Would Fulfill His Promises To Her
Elizabeth’s Encouragement To Mary
In Luke 1:45, God’s words speak, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ear, the child in my womb leaped for delight. Blessed is she who believes the Lord will fulfill His promises to her!”
Mary’s visit to Elizabeth was a testament to her unwavering faith and trust in God’s plan. God had chosen and blessed the two women for extraordinary purposes, and their encounter confirmed their mutual journey of faith. It was a moment of mutual encouragement, as Elizabeth’s joy and affirmation bolstered Mary’s own belief in the promises of the Lord.
Acting as Mary’s ultimate source of support, Elizabeth was the person who provided the desperately needed confirmation that Mary’s heart needed amidst the wilderness surrounding them. Because of her, Mary chooses to do what God tells her.
Blessed Is She Who Has Believed In!
Mary’s designation as “blessed among women” indicates that she willingly accepted the gift from the Holy Spirit and believed that there would be a fulfillment of God’s Word. Luke 1:45 is the manifestation of Mary’s joy and acceptance of what the angel had told her and her belief that there would be activity in God’s wisdom, manifesting her faith as she believed in the promises of God.
Conclusion
Regardless of which biblical translation you read, whether it is from the King James Version (KJV)[1] or the New International Version (NIV), the emphasis remains on the fact that the Lord will fulfill his promises (Luke 1:45).
Both women encountered hard choices to make, but they remained true to their belief that God’s promises must be kept. Both of them believed, without any hesitation, that they were blessed for their actions.
May our generation and all other succeeding generations find encouragement in Elizabeth’s and Mary’s ways, as they responded in true faith with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and believed that the Lord would never let them go astray. May we receive the blessing of God as we pray, obey, and imitate his image and likeness.
Prayer for deliverance from the spirit of suicide and from generational curses
I completely agree with receiving the blessings of God as I have proved it twice when I recovered from two almost fatal incidents. I had almost fatal head injuries from a motorbike accident in 1976. I had severely fractured my skull and damaged my heart as someone removed my helmet to see if I was alive. Blood poured out of my head, nose, mouth and ears. the neurosurgeon told my parents that I had less than 20% of any type of recovery as my head, brain and heart injuries were very likely to be fatal. All the nuns at my old school, St. Bernard’s Convent dedicated a whole mass for my recovery. Their prayers were answered as my survival was an actual miracle. Also in 1988 I had a baby which took me 23 hours and my blood pressure was maximum most of the time. I had kept silently praying a lot of the time. The doctor could not believe that I had survived so he warned me never to have any more babies as that is very likely to kill me. I will always be very grateful to God.