THE ANOINTING OF JOY
28th Nov 2018
The virgin Mary is chosen by God to bear His Son; in answer to her question, “How shall these things be?” the angel Gabriel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
Mary accepted this assignment with its far reaching implications, and needing space to process, she went to her cousin Elizabeth. Gabriel had informed Mary that old, barren Elizabeth was also six months pregnant, but keeping a very low profile; so Mary hurried to her cousin’s home.
As Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby, who we know as John the Baptist leapt for joy in the womb of Elizabeth, who was at that moment filled with the Holy Spirit. These may well be familiar facts from Luke chapter 1, but ponder what was actually happening.
You have Mary filled with the Holy Spirit, fresh from a very recent encounter with an awesome angelic person, named Gabriel, who himself had been sent from the throne room of God. You have Jesus, “anointed with joy above his companions”, Elizabeth also spontaneously filled with God’s Spirit; John, the babe inside her womb responding, which leads to thanksgiving and prophetic understanding and worship bursts out.
The joy is supernatural, a direct result of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is like a fire that ignites whatever it comes into contact with. Jesus in you is still the one “anointed with joy above his companions”. You carry Him wherever you go. So what is your expectation today? Will the Holy Spirit touch you and others today?
Maybe you need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. It is in the presence of Jesus we find fullness of joy and the overflow can then touch many other lives. In the words of a familiar song:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul and magnify His wonderful Name,
For the glory of the Lord is mine forever, Jesus is ever the same
For the Lord has set me free and given me liberty, to tell the world that Jesus is mine,
He has given me the wine to make my heart rejoice, and the oil to make my face to shine.”
by Joyce Sibthorpe
