“Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for the next five months. With joy she exclaimed, “See how kind it is of God to gaze upon me and take away the disgrace of my barrenness!” Luke 1:24-25 TPT
JOY In Dunamis Power
Elizabeth made room for God in her busy life. He anointed her to do something that was literally impossible at her age, yet she yielded to God and changed up her lifestyle to put God first. She met with God, heart to heart and she prepared her finite heart for God’s exciting and eternal plan. She did this by changing her lifestyle and making priority time for God, and He prepared her for what was ahead. Taking time apart to prepare for this unique opportunity gifted her by God, in her personal relationship with God, day by day, He prepared her for the impossible being made possible in her life. In her older years, God miraculously answered her prayer, and she knew it was only possible by the Dunamis power of God, motherhood was her destiny, so she met with the Destiny Maker at the crossroad of her life and He prepared her for what was ahead. Let it be so for us. Father God, I pray we don’t try to make our own way when we are at a life crossroad, but that we would turn to You, yield to You and let You prepare our way: Listen up to this 1 Minute Encouragement Video:
JOY In God Destiny
The Holy Spirit is teaching me so much from my focusing in on Elizabeth in the Christmas Story. Elizabeth knew she could not fulfill her destiny without God, so she made room for God in her busy life to prepare for what God had for her ahead. It takes a miraculous provision from God to be a mom whose role changes with every day, as the children placed in our care grow through life seasons into their God given destiny. There is no “doing” motherhood, Elizabeth knew this, and she knew she needed to be found in God’s strength, wisdom, navigation, and love.
JOY In Awe-GOD Gratefulness
It is fun to ponder what it was like for Elizabeth. I am thinking that Elizabeth was so filled with Awe-God gratefulness and wonder that she knew that preparing for motherhood was the most important priority at her very advanced age, and as she yielded her life to the Will God, leaning into His Sovereign Sway, she decided to take time apart with God. Elizabeth, her YES was on the table with God as she changed her lifestyle to reflect a yielded will to the Will of God. Y.es I. E.mbrace L.ordship D.aily. Yielded to God, Elizabeth did what was right and put God first in her life, adjusting daily as her first priority was met in His Presence, as she changed things up in her life so she could be prepared to be used by God in the day at hand. I am sure she stood in AWE of God, because He miraculously intervened in her life in that way no one could deny, and therefore, she gave God the all of her everything. Listen Up To This 1 Minute Encouragement Video
“To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. Look up and see! Who created these? He brings out the stars by number; he calls all of them by name. Because of his great power and strength, not one of them is missing.” Isaiah 40:25-26 CSB
JOY In Prayer
Yes, I am finding that there is so much to learn from Elizabeth in the Christmas story, but the prayer of our heart today is this: “Lord, prepare me for what you are preparing for me…” Lord, make me ready, shape me by Your Dunamis power for the life ahead that You have prepared for me. I wait on You, in Your presence…joyfully transform me, miraculously so, on this day to wholly-holy be what you destined for this day at hand.
Lord, I wait, quietly before You, giving You all my expectations, surrendering what I want to you, or the way I thought my life would look in this season. My soul is joyfully contemplating the new thing You are bringing into my life. I want to know it. I want to step into it. I pray for the direction of Your Holy Spirit to navigate me in my lifestyle, so I grow into the new thing You have for my life. Lead me in preparation, so I will be ready for what you have called me to in this life season.
Father God, as I have gotten to know Elizabeth, seeing her heart of anticipation of the miracle of a pregnancy in her older age, waiting for the fulfilling of Your purpose, miraculously so, I saw her change her lifestyle so prepare for the unexpected, yet much anticipated blessing of her child, a boy, chosen with purposeful destiny. Elizabeth set herself apart to prepare to become the Mother of John The Baptist. I ask to be like her. Whatever You call me to, whenever You call me, that I will take the time to adjust my lifestyle, put you first and be prepared by You.
“A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:3-5 CSB
JOY In The Preparation
Lord, prepare me for what you are preparing for me… Just like Elizabeth, we have been given the privilege of loving, encouraging, and guiding our children, whether they are babies, young children, teens, young adults, or older adult adult… this is the destiny that God chose for us. God put our family together miraculously so, and shaped with His hands our family, personally designing each one, just as He did for Elizabeth, down to the very last purposeful and timely detail, He gave Elizabeth the privilege of raising John the Baptist.
JOY IN Motherhood
Father God, we do not take the “all in” commitment of our life casually. Help us to know just how privileged we are, purposefully so, being called to Your great work. What an honorable responsibility given to us by God. We pray Holy Spirit of God, that You would help us to be just like Elizabeth in the Christmas Story, resembling her amazing life of worship unto God. Jesus, You Who made it so clear about the love You have for children, You gifted us miraculously so, with the destiny of motherhood. From the first breath of our child and onward, until God takes us home, we are called by You to be a mom to the children You have given us. Teach us Holy Spirit how to point our children to Jesus, to His way, truth, and life, and love them as He has loved us.
JOY In Mother-Child Bonds
This is why God calls us to be set apart, like Elizabeth was, to prepare ourselves daily as we mother the children God has put in our lives. Motherhood changes as the seasons of life unfold for our children, the methods change, but the heart stays the same. Once a mother, always a mother, the heart of a mother is never separated from the heart of her children. God made this unique bond between a mother and her child, and that is something the enemy can never steal, the connection of the heart of a mother and a child will always have the heartstrings of God from heart to heart. As mothers, we can soar with hope with Jesus, being strengthened by the “Root” of our hope in Him. Listen Up to this 1 Minute Encouragement Video
JOY In Elizabeth’s Life
Elizabeth’s life story in the Christmas Story teaches us how we are a mother with a mother‘s heart the day our baby is born until the day God takes us home. The heart of a mother never shuts off. Being a mother is being privileged by God to raise children that He has specifically shaped and designed by His hands, children He has written on their hearts an earthly and eternal destiny. We see in the Christmas story, how God highlighted an incredible woman named Elizabeth, who waited her whole life to be a mother. God‘s purposeful timing for motherhood for Elizabeth, it was a destiny that God had prepared her for, as she remained barren throughout her whole married life into her older years. But her life changed and by a miracle of God, Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist, who was destined to be the forerunner to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. Who would have thought that a miraculous motherhood would be the start of the Christmas Story and the example of the godliness of a woman who set herself apart with her God, to be prepared by Him for her destiny of motherhood as she experienced the trust in God, a strong faith that would renew her strength in such a way that she would not become weary, she would finish well.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31 CSB
As I began to grow through the devotional “31 Days Of Christmas Wonder by Carol McLeod” it has given me a new, fresh perspective as God focused me in on Elizabeth in the Christmas Story. Motherhood is a difficult life role with many challenges, as we live in a world that has much cultural chaos, deception is rampant, and disruptions and distractions are ridiculous, unlike no other time in history. Yes it is challenging! But God gives us wisdom in the testimony of Elizabeth, way past motherhood years, she met that challenge with God, taking time apart to be strengthened deep within her inner spiritual core. Let’s make note of the life legacy of this amazing Woman.
Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be levelled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple’s most important stone and shout, “God has been very kind.” So the angel explained that it was the following message of the LORD to Zerubbabel: I am the LORD All-Powerful. So don’t depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. The LORD spoke to me again and said: Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the LORD All-Powerful. Those who have made fun of this day of small beginnings will celebrate when they see Zerubbabel holding this important stone. Those seven lamps represent my eyes—the eyes of the LORD —and they see everything on this earth. Zechariah 4:6-10
Thank you for stopping in The Prayer Mentor Table in The Bridegroom’s Cafe. We hope your spiritual meal was soul nourishing for you. Please leave us a comment and let us know how you were inspired today. We also would love if you would subscribe to our Website by email and subscribe to our Rumble Channel Here:https://rumble.com/c/KimberlyMac Thank you so much, God bless you, KimberlyMac Author