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get out of town

Luke 1:39&40
"39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth."

We are studying Women of Faith in the Holy Bible! This week we are going to study Mary, the Mother of Jesus! She is a FAVORITE subject in Western art, music, and literature. She is beloved by the world today, but it was not always that way. In the beginning she was a young poor girl living in a small town in the middle of NOWHERE. She is one of the last people you or I would consider for the position of Mother of GOD!

When the Holy Ghost conceived the baby Jesus in her womb, her standing in the world dropped futher as she became a pregnant unwed mother. Still, Mary accepted GOD'S plan for her; "Behold the HANDMAID of the Lord." Handmaid is a personal maid or female servant. Some translations will use the word "SLAVE" here. Mary has clearly said that she is subservient to what GOD needs. She is willing to do whatever it takes and pay whatever the price to do what is required of her. She is blessing GOD with her service. Can you or I wrap our minds around what she is committed to doing?

This situation would have been VERY stressful for Mary. It would have been a VERY good thing for her to get away from Nazareth. Which is what she did in today's verses; "And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth." Historians estimate this journey being about seventy miles! And, getting away was a priority she also gets to confirm her cousin’s pregnancy, which the Angel had mentioned, to show her the reality of her own pregnancy. Just think how we can find ourselves in situations and have a feeling of disbelief. This circumstance had to be surreal and really challenging to come to grips with...
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