I love the picture of Luke 1:58. Imagine this woman who desired a child for so long. Imagine what she went through for so many years as a barren woman. She likely gave up on having a child. From reading Luke 1, we can see that Zechariah and Elizabeth were praying for a child. Perhaps you know someone who wanted a child so badly and it wasn’t an easy journey. People have struggled to get pregnant. People have had treatments to assist with pregnancy. People have suffered loss after loss. People have adopted. All of these journeys can be long and difficult, even painful, and yet the reward of a child is a blessing of which words cannot do justice.
When her neighbors and family find out about the birth of John, they rejoice with Elizabeth. The people celebrate what God did in her life. We can only imagine the celebration. The key here is that they celebrated with her. This isn’t something we see so much today. Can you remember the last time you celebrated the success of someone else? Can you remember the last time someone celebrated one of your successes?
Today, be intentional with your rejoicing. When you see something awesome happening in the life of a friend or family member, rejoice with them. When you see God moving in an incredible way, rejoice. This world is competitive. This world is hard. This world is so focused on getting ahead, we too often miss out on celebrating someone else because we are trying to get ahead too. Rejoicing together points to something greater than the world — rejoicing points to Jesus. Remember, the rejoicing with Elizabeth was because of the Lord’s great mercy. The blessings is always from the Lord. Whenever you rejoice, you can point to Him! Let us rejoice!
“Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her His great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.” – Luke 1:58 [CSB]
Tania Gutekunst 