Luke 1:58 NKJV
When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
Elizabeth was barren and she was old, so she and her husband were not expecting to have any children. A miracle took place and she became pregnant with the forerunner of Jesus Christ. His name was John and he was known as the "Baptist" because he baptized many people as he preached repentance to those who came to hear him. When John was born, Elizabeth's neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her. The Bible says they heard that God had shown great mercy to her. Her miraculous pregnancy was seen as a result of God's mercy. They rejoiced when they saw God's mercy extended to someone else besides themselves. That is one way we can test the condition of our hearts. How happy are we when we see God's mercy extended to someone else? Are we upset because we did not experience something similar, or are we unselfish enough to just be glad the person was blessed? When someone else experiences God's mercy, we can tell what is inside of us. If it's not right we will know, and more importantly, the Lord will know. So, we must open ourselves up to Him for repair if our hearts need to be fixed. Matthew 5:8 tells us the pure in heart will see God. So let us not allow our hearts to be polluted with envy or jealousy. We must rejoice in the mercy of God for ourselves, but also when we see it given to others.
