12-27-23-ENG.

"My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. "

Luke 1:46-47 
THE POWER OF GOD

Read It: Luke 1:39-56
I love this part of the Christmas story, because now it starts getting real good. Now we are talking about the power of God. First, we have an elderly woman who was barren now in the sixth month of her pregnancy. And the child she is carrying is John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Now we've got a miracle working here because we already know the Holy Spirit is at work. The Spirit's power is evident in today's text when Elizabeth heard Mary's voice. All Mary had to do was say, "Hi, Liz," and the baby in Elizabeth's womb started leaping for joy. Then people go around talking about, "Human life doesn't begin in the womb." But that's another lesson. Anyway, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting and felt the baby jump, she knew immediately that Mary was pregnant and that her baby was the Messiah. How did Elizabeth know all of that? Because it was the Holy Spirit talking. Luke says she "vas filled with the Holy Spirit" (v. 41). So the Holy Spirit was confirming to Mary through Elizabeth what the angel had told Mary earlier, that she would become pregnant and carry the Savior. Mary knew she was expecting, not because she felt something, but because God was telling her and confirming it through Elizabeth.

Here we see the power of God in action as the Holy Spirit brought these two women in contact with one another, validating His work in the miraculous lous conception of Jesus. When Mary heard all of this, she quickly drew on her Bible memory program and began a beautiful song of praise that is known as the "Magnificat," from the Latin word for magnify (Kiv). Mary did not say, "I don't believe it. Give me a doctor to substantiate it." She did not ask for any of that. She simply said, "Holy Spirit? That's all I need to know" See, when the Holy Spirit is involved, He is not necessarily going to use a method you are familiar with, a normal means. Mary gave glory to God without knowing all the details. She simply believed Him. Think About It If you believe that God can and God does, then the only question left is: "Will He do it at this time for me?" And that's His call.