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Shortly after Zechariah encountered the Angel in the temple, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant! Looking back at their lives, do you think God could not do it for them months, years, or decades ago, or that they did not qualify? Did something change that caused God to open her womb?

Nothing changed. The plan of God extends far beyond meeting our personal needs and desires. He had a plan, and His plan begins to unfold before our eyes as we follow along with the story.

When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, the same Angel that appeared to Zechariah was sent to a virgin called Mary. The Angel told Mary she would conceive, give birth to a son, and call him Jesus. He will be King forever, and His Kingdom will reign forever.

Aware of the natural process of creating a baby, Mary asked the Angel how this would be possible since she did not have a husband.

The Angel gave her two answers. The first answer was, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”

The second answer from the Angel is where our focus is.

The Angel said, “Your cousin Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is ever impossible with God.”

Think about it for a moment. All the years Elizabeth was called barren, Elizabeth really was not! Her experience was to serve as a witness to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The child she was carrying was John the Baptist, a pivotal figure in the plan of God and a forerunner who would bear witness to the Light – Jesus (John 1: 6 – 9).