Observation: As Mary and Elizabeth meet and wonder about the greatness of the child Mary is carrying, this is part of Mary's own understanding. She has been told the child is the Messiah, and she knows that to be part of the very promise made to Abraham ~1,800 years prior. Mary understands that part of the promise to Abraham was protection and mercy for his nation, and she understands that part of the promise of Messiah is mercy for all people. She therefore understands the magnitude and importance of the events surrounding her.
Application: Even God's smallest promises can become life-changing when we accept and understand them. I have struggled with that ... understanding God's promises and recognizing how they may apply to me. I have more and more become aware of promises associated with protection and daily blessing, but not the promises that may apply to narratives in life.
Perhaps it is my literary background that sees people in the bible as actual people, and thus promises made to them as direct and personal promises just for them, not applicable to a broad category of believers. I now see that, to understand this, it helps to see the promises in the Old Testament, then listen to how the coming of Jesus profoundly renews those promises to all believers.
Mary understood the promise to Abraham ... for God to be merciful. She now knows Messiah will create a scenario where that mercy continues to all, including the adopted children of Abraham now incorporated by faith. I will likewise continue my quest to learn how God's great promises apply to my life.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your blessing, your love, your mercy. Please do give us this day our daily bread, as you have said you will. May I continue to seek and claim those promises you have for my life and for the life of my family, and then to align my thoughts and actions to your perfect plan. Amen.
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