We are packing up camp and moving forward in the story— full steam ahead, friend!
After Zechariah is visited by the angel Gabriel, Elizabeth gets pregnant.
When Elizabeth finds out that a) the Lord has heard her cries and b) she is pregnant in old age, she does something that absolutely stuns me:
She spends the next five months in seclusion.
Tucked away.
Off of social media.
Phone in airplane mode.
You get the point.
Homegirl holes herself up for 5 MONTHS to be alone with God and savor the miracle of her pregnancy. Elizabeth practically created maternity leave.
That. Is. Dedication. On. A. Whole. New. Level.
I marvel when I manage to get alone with God for more than an hour but can you even imagine what it would be like to get alone with him for 5 whole months? Every waking and sleeping breath? I’m not going to lie- there are big parts of me that feel like this would be impossible for me.
If this were me and I’m getting the best news of my life– if the impossible is suddenly possible– then I am shouting it from the rooftops. I’m telling EVERYONE. I’m writing the Instagram post RIGHT NOW.
Imagine the naysayers in Elizabeth’s life. Imagine the people who likely told her, “Hey, I think you should give up on that prayer for a baby at this point because you’re too old to bear a child.”
If I’m Elizabeth, I’m dressing up my baby bump and heading into the town square to tell every human with ears to listen that God’s goodness is a real thing. I’d show those naysayers a big ol’ pregnant belly-sized God miracle.
And don’t get me wrong— God loves the praise that comes off our lips, but God is most honored and most pleased when we get alone with Him because He– even without the miracles– is worth being praised.
When was the last time you got away with God just to savor what he had already done in your life? When was the last time you witnessed God doing something beautiful in your life, and you spent time thanking him first before sharing it on social media?
Do you savor before you share things?
Do you even savor, or do you just move into the next prayer request on your list?
I want to leave you with a challenge today.
This year is about to end.
If we aren’t careful, we will skip right from Christmas into the New Year. We will hit December 26, and we will set our goals and sprint towards the new year believing we’re suddenly the people who eat kale, unplug our phones, go to the gym daily, and practice skincare routines religiously.
But I want to challenge you to pause at some point in this next week. Carve out a space of just 15 minutes. That’s all. Set a timer, and in those 15 minutes, I want you to go back and reflect on 2022.
Reflect on the work you did and the big things that happened.
Reflect on the small projects and the ordinary miracles you encountered.
Reflect on the prayers you prayed and the good things God did in your life.
Reflect on the things that hurt you and the things that didn’t go your way in 2022.
Carve out space to reflect with God before you start posting 2023 goals all over social media.
God did something in 2022. Don’t discount the beautiful and ruinous things that made you this year.
Just make space to remember what God has done in the year behind you before you move forward into a new year.
I believe this is what Elizabeth did throughout those five months alone with God: she reflected on His goodness. She worshipped. She made much of Him. She cultivated an inner relationship with God that would sustain her for the long haul.
She dedicated time to say to God over and over again, “Thank you. This is wild. Thank you.”
It would have been easy for her to share the news as fast as she could.
Instead, she paused.
She waited.
She savored.
And in the savoring, her spirit was satisfied.
Reading
Luke 1:23-25
Steal This Prayer
Dear God, I’m tempted to run towards the New Year– towards new growth and new goals. Help me stop and pause– if only for a few minutes– to spend the last of 2022 remembering your faithfulness. As I sit down to reflect, amplify the work and the growth you did in me. I’m ready to spend the last moments of 2022 savoring all you’ve done.
I Love Hearing from You!
In moving my blog to a newer platform, I sadly had to let go of the thousands of comments and conversations that came from readers over the last 10+ years. This grieves me deeply but I know there will new conversations, fresh words of wisdom, and opportunities to create close community once again. I’d love to hear from you in the comments section. I’ll be reading + replying on a regular basis.
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