Some stories in Scripture hit closer to home than we expect. Elizabeth’s may be one of them for you and me. She knows what it is to wait so long that hope starts to shrink. She knows what it is to carry disappointment quietly. She knows what it is to feel unseen, unheard, and maybe even forgotten. And then, in the seemingly normal patterns of ordinary life…God steps in.

This Sunday in our Christmas series, "What the Women Saw", we’ll see hope break into Elizabeth’s story with surprising tenderness and unstoppable power. Her encounter shows us that God’s silence is not abandonment, his timing is not random, and his Word never returns empty.

If you’re weary of waiting, if you’re carrying a heavy question, if your hope feels thin, you can relate to Elizabeth’s story. Hope is there. Elizabeth saw it. Come see it with us.

Series: What the Women Saw

Message 2- Elizabeth Saw Hope

Text: Luke 1:5-25; 39-45; 57-66

Jordan Coros

Harvest Bible Chapel Barrie

December 7, 2025

Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten...we want to break open the ripe fruit when the [stem] has barely been planted.

– Dietrick Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas

When I see the hope that Elizabeth saw…

1) …I know God has not forgotten me (v. 5-7; 24-25)

God promises…

…his presence (Joshua 1:5 - I will not leave you or forsake you.)

…his care (1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.)

…his goodness (Lamentations 3:25 - The Lord is good to those who wait for him.)

…his timing (Galatians 6:9 - In due season we will reap, if we do not give up.)

…his attention (Matthew 6:8 - Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.)

…his faithfulness (Psalm 138:8 - The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.)

2) …which convinces me of his perfect plan (v. 8-17)

Malachi 3:1

3) …leads me to trust in his Word (v. 18-23; 57-64)

God’s word will stand. In fact, on the…day of judgement, every mouth will be closed. There will be no rebuttal, no rejoinder or appeal. The God of the Universe will do all things well, including administering justice on that final day. So it’s better to receive and share his word rather than doubt it. Zechariah found that out the hard way.

- Thabiti Anyabwile

4) …and celebrate his work in my life (v. 39-45; 65-66)