Blessed is she that believed

Two women in a doorway — one old and six months pregnant against all nature, one young and carrying the impossible. Before Mary says a word of her famous song, Elisabeth speaks this blessing over her, and it is worth noticing what the blessing praises. Not blessed is she that was chosen, though Mary was. Blessed is she that believed.

Believing was Mary’s actual contribution — the one thing that was hers to do. She could not arrange the promise, hurry it, or verify it in advance; she could only carry it, trusting that what was told her would be performed. Elisabeth, further along in her own impossible story, knew exactly what that daily believing cost, which is why she honoured it first.

Perhaps you are carrying a promise in its unperformed stage — something told to you in prayer or Scripture that shows no outward sign yet. Elisabeth’s blessing is transferable, and it names the whole assignment: keep believing. There shall be a performance. The God who kept His word to two women in a doorway has not changed His practice.