“Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden” (Luke 1:24, ESV). We do not know why Elizabeth stayed in seclusion, but I am sure there were things about her pregnancy which felt isolating. Being the oldest person anyone in the village had laid eyes on, expecting a child would make me want to stay inside. Decades of prayers for a baby answered and divine designs for her unborn son—perhaps she needed time for that to settle in.
Mary also was alone in her calling. If the angel Gabriel appeared to her at a meal with her family present, her plight as a pregnant virgin might have been easier. Instead, she received this heavenly declaration alone, facing divorce, possible death and, at the very least, judgement. Bravely, she told Gabriel, “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Mary is the only woman to ever carry within her body the One who is a second chance for all humanity. Her weighty journey of first-time motherhood was one she walked alone until she could visit Elizabeth. What a comforting confirmation it must have been for both women for John the Baptist to leap in utero and Elizabeth experience the Holy Spirit coming upon her when she heard Mary’s voice.
“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45, ESV). Elizabeth affirmed Mary’s faith.
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant” (Luke 1:46-48, ESV). Mary knew God saw her. In His gracious goodness, God gave Mary a friend in Elizabeth, another mother with a high calling tied to an unexpected pregnancy.
“There are very few people who understand what my life is like,” a friend confided in me over coffee. We all feel alone sometimes, many especially at Christmas time. Is there someone you can reach out to today to let them know they are not alone?
Alone in Her Calling
