Praise Him for the Miracles
Three months after we announced our first pregnancy, my sister called to tell me she was pregnant, but hesitation hovered in her voice. “Erin, why do you sound weird about it?” I asked. She was worried news of her fifth pregnancy might make me feel pushed out of the limelight. And to be honest, her concern wasn’t totally unfounded. Only three years prior, she had experienced the stillbirth of her daughter Zoey, and news of her most recent pregnancy felt a bit miraculous, whereas maybe mine felt ordinary. But the truth was that I couldn’t have been more excited for her. I didn’t earn my childhood nickname “Me, too!” for nothing, after all. I’ve always wanted to be doing exactly what my older sister was doing, and I was ecstatic to share this season of pregnancy with her.
Maybe that’s why I’ve been drawn to Elizabeth and Mary’s pregnancy stories as told in the gospel of Luke. The angel Gabriel first told Zechariah that he and Elizabeth would have a son. Zechariah’s response was one of disbelief: “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (Luke 1: 18 NIV). I empathize with Zechariah. When my sister shared her joyful news with me, I struggled with my own disbelief. Would we see my sister’s pregnancy come to full fruition? Would we possibly face the loss of another baby in our family? When you’ve lived that reality once, it can be hard to hope for a good outcome. I wonder if the years of barrenness had worn down Zechariah’s ability to hope. But Elizabeth, who had walked this barren path with Zechariah, chose a different response: “‘The Lord has done this for me,’ she said. ‘In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people’” (Luke 1:25 NIV). Elizabeth’s gift of praise was simple and authentic. Elizabeth could not have understood all the details of how God would bring about this miracle, but she started by naming what God was doing in her life. Can we, like Elizabeth, name the good things the Lord is doing for us even in the face of great mystery?
O Lord, when has the mystery seemed too great? When have we disbelieved instead of praising you? When have we demanded answers instead of simply offering our trust? Lord instead of fear, worry, and disbelief, help us lean into acknowledgment, trust, and praise.
Six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy, her cousin Mary received news from the angel Gabriel that she would bear the Messiah. “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth” (Luke 1: 39–40 NIV). How easy might it have been for Elizabeth to see her own story as secondary to Mary’s, who, after all, would give birth to the long-awaited messiah? Was there a flicker or twinge of doubt? Scripture says that Elizabeth was humble and full of thanks for what God was doing in Mary’s life: “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!’” (Luke 1:42 NIV). In this beautiful moment between Mary and Elizabeth, there is no one-upping, no self-focus, no jealous complaining—just celebration and affirmation of what God was doing. I wonder if age, what had once been the obstacle to Elizabeth’s fruitfulness, gave her the seasoned wisdom to rejoice with her cousin. They were witnesses to one of God’s greatest miracles, and together they celebrated this joy: “If one part [of God’s body] flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance” (1 Cor. 12:26 MSG). Can we, like Elizabeth, let doxology break the ruts of our self-focus to praise God and bless others?
O Lord, when have our hearts burned with envy instead of being ignited with praise for your good works in others? When have our hearts been drawn to division and jealousy instead of joyful celebration together? Lord, when we are tempted by comparison and jealousy, please draw our hearts to you in thanksgiving instead. Amen.
Life’s stories are filled with complicated middles and sometimes unthinkable plot twists. We cannot predict what will come in our lives, but we know a good God who loves us, who has good things planned for us, and who brings joy from our deepest sorrows. May we believe that in all things he is working for our good. May we praise him for the good gifts he has given us. And may we praise him for the miracles he is bringing right down to those around us.
is a writer, Ann Voskamp intern, editor, and journaling instructor from South Carolina. A lover of the beach, the stars, and the lattes her husband makes, her favorite things to write about are motherhood, special needs parenting, mental health, grief, and faith. You can connect with her over at Writing Is Cheaper Than Therapy, Facebook, and Instagram.
Photograph © Ryan Franco, used with permission
