It seems like an appropriate time to return to the study series we had been doing weekly: ‘God’s timing in our times’. And this one seems particularly apt too, as we are in the sixth week of lockdown. So many on social media are talking about a sense of struggle this week – and I know my family are feeling it too. We are in a time of waiting, and it’s difficult. So what can we learn from Elizabeth?

Reflections based on Luke 1:5–25,39–41,56.

Elizabeth has so much to teach us about waiting. She must have suffered a lot throughout her early married life, childlessness, in those days, was believed then to be a curse from God – and yet she was a descendant of Aaron and married to a priest! Her neighbours and friends must have wondered what her great sin was. At the very least she would have been the object of pity. 

God’s delay in Elizabeth’s life may have been, in part, because it was not yet time for her ‘miracle son’ to be conceived. Mary, her younger relative, might have needed the encouragement of another God-initiated pregnancy at the time of Jesus’ conception. She was only a teenage girl, while Elizabeth was ‘in her old age’ (Luke 1:36). So Elizabeth lived through long, painful barren years while Mary grew up. When they were reunited in pregnancy, the baby inside Elizabeth leapt at the sound of Mary’s voice!

The women then spent three months together, during which time I am sure they prepared for their sons’ births and prayed for each other. But what can we learn from Elizabeth today? In her time of waiting and suffering she remained a faithful, worshipping woman. 

Too often we can allow our pain and suffering to turn us away from God. As we become more impatient during lockdown, as things seem to be harder and drawn out, more of us are turning to past-times that numb us: Netflix, binge-eating, excess alcohol. It is important that we acknowledge when we are finding life tough – when relationships within our homes are getting strained due to the close proximity, when we are concerned about relatives and friends on their own, when we hear of people close to us having to deal with the virus – either in themselves or others. 

But we can also remember to look to the Word of God to bring us life and sustenance. So many characters within the Bible struggled as they faced immense difficulties. Their stories are included so that we can learn from them and draw encouragement and hope. Today, let’s look draw strength from Elizabeth’s example and trust in God’s goodness as she did, even through her pain.

Prayer: Lord, when I don’t understand what You are doing in my life, and in the world around me, please give me the grace to remain strong in trust and hope, and faithful to You.