........................................
Leaping For Joy
Dancing
for Immanuel
Too small to see, but too great to miss!
by Phil Ware
“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. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
“In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that
the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting
reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has
believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’" (Luke
1:39-45 TNIV).
There were obvious problems, so Donna and I hurried in to
her doctor.
Our son
was four years old. This was Donna's second pregnancy, and we were worried.
The
doctor listened to Donna as she shared what had gone on the last twenty-four
hours. Then he said, "Let's not jump to any conclusions until we do an
ultrasound."
Within a few minutes of the ultrasound, our
fears were allayed. There was our baby, just a little over eleven weeks after
conception.
She was
not quite two inches in size and we didn't know that she was a she, yet. The
doc gently thumped on Donna's belly and said, "Hello in there, let's see
if anyone wants to wake up and play a bit."
After a
thump or two, there was movement of arms and legs still in their very primitive
forms, but distinguishable down to the budding fingers.
We sat there in astounded wonder at the
gift of life and the preciousness of someone we could not see naturally or
really even know was there. But, there Megan was, and she was glorious!
When God chose to put on human flesh, He
chose to enter our world like we did and enter into every part of the human
experience. Jesus was carried in the womb of His mother.
Just
like us, there was a time that He was so small that His mother didn't know He
was really there, except by faith and the testimony of an old woman who had
experienced something amazing — an old and shriveled unused womb that had come
to life with a dancing baby.
In
Elizabeth's case, however, the doc didn't have to thump on her belly and wake
John up.
It
is the beginning of an unfolding
grace that still touches us all!
grace that still touches us all!
No, in Elizabeth's case, the Holy Spirit began the
promised ministry of John the Baptizer in preparing the way for Jesus.
He was testifying to Immanuel — "God with us" — as one of us.
It didn't matter that Jesus was only about two or three
inches in size and not yet a recognizable flutter in Mary's womb.
The Spirit knew of Jesus' presence and so the Spirit
prompted John to dance for Immanuel.
Yes, I
know that those not inclined to faith can explain away the leaping of John as
just a spontaneous movement of a baby or the baby sensing the excitement and
pitch change in his mother's voice.
But,
Mary and Elizabeth didn't see it that way. Neither did John.
He would
do far more than dance for Jesus as he prepared the way for God's Messiah.
He would
give his life — from womb to tomb — to honor Immanuel, God with us.
So in the rush and excitement of all that
is going on in the world this time of year, notice the baby bump of an
expectant mother and the chuckle of little child and remember that the Holy
Spirit had John dance before he could have shoes or his momma could comb his
hair.
And
remember, this miracle wasn't just a special moment for Mary and Elizabeth, it
was the beginning of an unfolding grace that still touches us all and asks us
to honor Immanuel, God with us!
Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily
devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in
transition with Interim
Ministry Partnersand for the past
21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God's
Holy Fire (on the Holy
Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four
books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels. (Visit the Author's
Website)
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