Elizabeth the Mentor

Hi, My name is Vivien and this is my very first blog on the Come Closer website, so please be kind.

For some time I have been thinking and pondering on Elizabeth in the bible. After a little prompting, I thought I would share these thoughts with you… but just to make it clear these are my thoughts and not a sermon. Maybe it could bring us a challenge.

Who was this older woman named Elizabeth mentioned in Luke chapter 1 and 2? Reading the whole chapter is worthwhile even though many of us know it so well.

The bible tells us she was upright, righteous in the sight of God, she is praised for observing all the Lord’s commandments without blame, a respectable Jewess from a priestly family, but she was also childless (barren) unable to conceive. Time had passed and now her and Zachariah were very old.

The angel Gabriel had visited Zachariah, her doubting husband, and told him Elizabeth would bear a son and to call his name John as he was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth was full of joy that she was going to have this child, a very special child in her life, God had rearranged her life this greying older women and she was full of joy and laughter.

Two women who by human standards could never have children, Elizabeth who was barren was very old had never been able to have children at all, and was past child-bearing capability as was her husband Zachariah, conceived and carried in her womb John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ the Messiah. The second is a young girl, Mary a virgin, who became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of God creating life in her womb conceives Jesus to be the Saviour of the World.

Mary, now herself pregnant with Jesus, visits Elizabeth her cousin. The same angel Gabriel had visited her and Joseph and declared that she would conceive this special child Jesus. . Amazingly, by this time Elizabeth herself was pregnant (about six months) she was the first to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. In that incredibly special encounter with Mary her cousin, her own baby jumped for joy.

When the two pregnant women meet face-to-face, Elizabeth’s unborn baby responded by leaping in her womb, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit :

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, 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 what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

God had been so gracious to these two women. Read the song of Mary, which is full of joy and faith in her God. Now there is so much in this chapter and this is a blog so here are my final thoughts about Elizabeth.

So who was Elizabeth? She was certainly a Godly woman the bible is very clear about who she was. The bible also refers to the older generation sharing with the younger about who God is. So, if we have a story to tell shouldn’t we share it too?

I believe that Elizabeth offered Mary the protection of her home. In that precious time together Elizabeth would share with her al that God had done in her own long life. Mary stayed with her for three months so I believe there was a lot of chatting , comfort and encouragement given to Mary.

We who have been in the faith for many years can help those younger women in the faith. We can be available to mentor and encourage them. Life can be very tough for all of us, but God and his word in us is our strength.

I have thought at time “what can I say?”

I don’t often think I have much to give, but I can give my testimony. I can share about God’s faithfulness just in the same way he was with Elizabeth. So, no matter what our age God speaks to our heart. There is an old song that says ‘let’s talk about Jesus’. Lets share what he has done in our lives.

Do you have another woman in your life you could mentor? We can all be a mentors to someone. We don’t have to have all the answers, but we can be available to listen, encourage, to share and pray together.

Psalm 78 says:
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
so that the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.

On a final note, I like to read Jeanne Mayo’s blog. She  is a Youth Leaders Coach based in America. She says this phrase:  History will be kind to me. For by the grace of God, I will write it! Check her out.

So, I have written down some things on my heart to share with you. God bless you.
Love Vivien