Are you familiar with this infamous verse- Blessed is she who believed God's promises to her from Luke 1:45? You probably are most familiar with this verse from studying it during the season of Advent. Right now this verse is weighing heavy on me because I am studying our Bible reading Christmas plan, Joy: An Advent Bible reading plan that you can see HERE.
To be honest this verse has intrigued me for many years and that is why I designed with it on many products for our shop. You can see our shop for a Blessed is she who believed shirt, t shirt, mugs, canvas print, jewelry, and many more gifts HERE!
We are promised in scripture that 'she is blessed who believes' but what does that mean?
To get a better understanding of the meaning of this scripture from Luke 1:45, I like to study it in different Bible translations and you can read them on this page from biblehub.com
The following translations gave me more insight into this verse:
New International Version
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"
You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”
And blessed is the one having believed that there will be a fulfillment to the things spoken to her from the Lord."
"And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."
Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
The pressing questions that are on my mind are:
What woman in the bible is 'blessed is she who believed' that is spoken about in this verse?
Is this promise for every woman that trusts in the Lord?
Before we go any further, digging for the scripture treasure in this verse, I suggest that you read the entire passage of Luke chapter 1 either in your own Bible or in the various translations that you will find HERE.
The verse that we are focusing on in this devotional, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her” Luke 1:45 was spoken by Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist to Mary (who becomes the mother of Jesus). Elizabeth is an older cousin to Mary. So let's start at Luke 1:26.
Mary and the Angel Gabriel (The Promise Is Given)
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
Luke 1:26-27.
In the previous verses, we discover Elizabeth in her late years is miraculously expecting a baby. Zechariah [ her husband] can't quite believe the angel Gabriel when he delivers the news to him, and he is struck dumb for not believing!
The angel Gabriel also visits Mary, a young girl, not yet married to Joseph and a virgin, and delivers similar news to her. Mary is from a lowly family and the city of Nazareth which was not a prominent town. Mary was betrothed to Joseph, in Jewish customs that meant Mary was in a binding engagement that could not be broken except by divorce. During this time of betrothal there were no intimate acts together, so for Mary to show up pregnant would cast enormous doubt on her character.
Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ”Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!"
Luke 1:28-30.
Despite being confused and disturbed by seeing an angel and hearing his words, Mary trusted God. She would have learned the scriptures in the synagogue services over the years as a child and so she believed in the words that the angel Gabriel spoke to her. She submitted to the Lord for whatever He had chosen for her to do. Mary was shown amazing grace to be chosen to give birth to Jesus- the savior of the world. She was given the grace to cope with being pregnant, a long journey on a donkey, and then to give birth in a stable! She would have needed much grace to see God's plan unfold for Jesus, which leads to His death on the cross, just so that you and I can come into God's presence any time of the day and have everlasting life once we believe in Him!
Here are some thoughts to ponder:
1. Would you be willing to sacrifice your reputation to do God's will?
God gives you His grace too. He will give you the grace to do the work that He has created for you and chosen you to do if you choose to trust Him.
2.Are you ready to ask God to show you the unique work that He has created you to do?
Read on with me and come dig up more scripture treasure from this passage.
The Promise Explained:
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “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. What’s more, your relative 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.
Luke 1:34-36.
Put yourself in Mary's shoes, can you imagine been given this miraculous news that you will become pregnant even though you are a virgin!
Do you think you might wonder how to raise a king ? or how can this be because you are mortal?
What could it mean to have the Holy Spirit come upon you and overshadow you?
The angel Gabriel then proceeds to announce that Mary's cousin, Elizabeth is expecting. This too is a miracle. Mary knows that her cousin is too old to bear a child. I wonder does it help Mary to believe this miraculous conception because if an old barren woman can conceive, then so can a virgin?
What would you do if an angel visited you and gave you miraculous news?
So many questions to be thinking about! But wait...there is more!
For with God, nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.
Luke 1:37.
Mary had asked the angel ' how can this be?' And the words in Luke 1:37 are the amazing answer that she was given. These familiar words spoken by the angel Gabriel are also spoken for us. This verse is a reminder for us to believe in God, regardless of the situation in our lives, that nothing is impossible for our God.
I want to encourage you to choose to have faith, to trust in the God of the impossible, and to watch expectantly for God's plans to unfold in your life.
It takes a great dose of faith and trust in God but we will be rewarded when we step out in faith and trust His promises.
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:38-41.
Have you ever wondered how Mary was able to be so calm and confident when she said to the angel, 'I am the Lord's servant? May everything you have said about me come true'.
Could it be that she already has an established relationship with the Lord and that she knew God's presence?
Have you ever been in the midst of a storm in your life and you stop, call on the Lord, listen to worship music or read some scripture, and calm washes over you as you sit in God's presence?
Next time panic rises, consider Mary!
Do you understand the magnitude of Mary's answer?
She said 'yes' to God, knowing that her future husband could divorce her because it would seem that she had been unfaithful. Mary probably realized that not one person would believe that her pregnancy is a miracle and she would probably be mocked unjustly for sleeping around by the people of her town. Would you believe Mary?
I have also always wondered about verse 41 'at the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her and she was filled with the Holy Spirit'. I love that even though the baby in the womb was still developing that, John's spirit sensed the importance of Mary's baby and that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit!
Blessed is She Who Has Believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to Her :
Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
Luke 1:42-45.
Upon being filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth immediately delivered a message inspired by the Spirit. In this message, she called Mary the “mother of our Lord.” Luke does not tell us how Elizabeth knew this. This knowledge went far beyond anything the angel Gabriel had told Zachariah ( Elizabeth's husband, and you can read about that in Luke 1:5-25 ) six months earlier. Unless Mary told Elizabeth the news during her greeting, the information did not come from Mary. The impression we have from the text is that the Spirit revealed the information to Elizabeth. Clearly, Elizabeth’s message was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
We saw in the previous Bible verses that the angel Gabriel had told Mary she had found 'favor with God' [Luke 1:30] but that wasn't the greatest favor or blessing that God bestowed on her. The greatest favor was one that we received also - that Jesus saves us from our sins, we receive redemption. What a blessing it is to believe in Jesus, that He is the Son of God and that through faith in Him and the cross, we have salvation. This verse is precious because it reminds us that we are special too in God's eyes.
We have just answered my first question, 'Who is the woman that Luke 1:45 was spoken to?' It was of course spoken to Mary.
But could you now explore this scripture with me to see if it could possibly carry promises for both you and me today in this season of our lives?
New International Version
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"
Luke 1:45.
Believing God’s promises is sometimes hard to do. Believing is daring.
But if we dare to believe, we will be blessed among women. This verse has made me dig deep and to think about the promises that God has given me over the years. Are you holding on to promises that God has given you?
Did you know that the Bible is a treasure chest full of promises from God? There are 7,487 promises in the Bible according to some scholars. God never breaks His promises! That means that the promises that you find in the Bible are for you, to enable you to overcome difficult circumstances or problems. We looked at 31 Bible verses, that contain promises given to you from God a few months ago in our 'Promises Of God' scripture reading plan. This list of promises of God is taken from the Old Testament and the New Testament. You will find the list of the promises of God and printable journal cards HERE
Here are 6 of these scripture promises that have impacted my life:
1. All things are possible for those who believe. Mark 9:23.
This verse means that if you find a promise in the Bible that applies to your situation, you can stand on that promise and believe it. We need to train our thoughts to line up with God's word. When that happens our faith will grow and we can expect the impossible to happen.
2. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ. And so through Him, the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God". 2 Corinthians 1:20.
I find this so encouraging! All God's promises are yes and Amen. God will do what He says He will do but we have to do our part too. What does it mean that all God's promises are 'yes' and 'Amen'? It means that all of God's promises are sure and firm. They are unchanging! And our part is to walk close with Him and being obedient in doing what He tells us to do.
3. But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia[a] and Seba in your place. Isaiah 43:1-3.
God tells us that we will go through difficulties but He will always be our Rescuer.
God has ransomed you, purchased your freedom by the blood of His Son. You are an expensive purchase. But God says that you are worth it. You are not just a face in the crowd. God has called you by name. You belong to Him. You are His treasured possession and the apple of His eye!
No one gets to avoid life's heartaches. God does not promise a trouble-free life but He promises to be with us in the midst of them.
4. Because you have made the Lord, [who is] my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent.
11 For He will command His angels in regard to you, To protect and defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. Psalm 91:9-11.
Did you catch the promise in these verses? No calamity or plague will come near your home because you have made the Lord your refuge and your dwelling place. Take special note of verse 11 - "For He will give His angels charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways". Not only is God watching over you but He commands His angels to guard you! 5. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.
God gave Joshua this promise that He would be with him and the Israelites, and that Joshua would be instrumental in causing the people of Israel to inherit the Promised Land. But in order for this to occur, Joshua was commanded in Joshua 1:7-8, "This Book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do all that is written in it. For then you make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.
The same promise God made to Joshua is for you and me too! You don't have to be scared or dismayed because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. So be strong and very courageous!
6. For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. 13 Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and I will [free you and] gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ Jeremiah 29:11-14.
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a plan for each of us and that should fill you with hope for your future. But that plan is only possible to unfold if you participate in that plan.
What does that mean?
It means you need to stay close to God and ask Him to show you what your gifts and talents are and then work on them to be perfected in your life. Ask God to put a desire or hunger for His plans on your heart. God promises to hear your prayers in verse 12.
There is a wonderful promise in Jeremiah 29:11-14. When you search for God with all your heart - as a vital necessity, then you will find Him. In other words, the wonderful life Jesus died for us to have depends on our personal relationship with Him. We need Him just as much as we need food, water, and air to breathe.
Guess what happens when you seek God like this and spend time with Him?
You become more like Him. You will be more patient and calm and become more expectant of seeing God's blessings in the middle of difficult circumstances.
These are only six of the many promises that you will find in the Bible. Take a look at our Bible reading plan 'Promises Of God' that you will find HERE for more of God's promises. We are truly blessed women when we trust God and dare to believe in His promises!
What promises of God are you believing in faith for?
Would you like to join a group of faith-filled women in our Restoring Beauty For Ashes Facebook Group?
We have daily devotionals, prayer, and encouragement throughout the day. The group is filled with women from all over the world and it is a wonderful encouraging place to be! You will find our group HERE.
Some of our Blessed Is She Who Believed That The Lord Would Fulfill His Promises To Her. Luke 1:45. You will find our collection HERE.
Thank you for digging for scripture treasure with me!
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God bless xx Karen.