Elizabeth

When God wants to do something big, he sends one person. When he wants to do something really big, he begins his preparations before the champion’s birth and even selects a childless older couple who have grieved over their infertility. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was given a miracle son, Isaac; Manoah and his wife were given a miracle son, Samson; and Zechariah’s “barren” wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant with John the Baptist.

Elizabeth is a Christmas hero. Women know that the risk of childbirth both to mother and baby increase as the mother gets older. She may have had doubts about her ability to carry out her mission. Then she received a visit from her much younger relative Mary, who had even more amazing news. But Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, already knew about Mary’s extraordinary unborn baby: “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43).

This is why Elizabeth is such a hero. She believed the unbelievable. Why? Because it was logical? No. Because it was convenient or lucrative? No. It’s because she believed the Word of God. You have her same dilemma—God invites you too to believe the unbelievable, that eternal and almighty God himself, in the second person of the Trinity, took on human flesh in order to save us from eternal damnation. He invites you to believe that through him you receive forgiveness, favor, and immortality.

What a Christmas present!