Luke 1:57-58 John the Baptist is born

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her..

When we read of God’s mercy, we often think in terms of forgiveness and clemency, but that is only part of the picture. God’s mercy can also be understood as the loving kindness of God that sees into our hearts and responds to our needs. This is the mercy that God showed to Elizabeth – an awareness of her prayers and deepest longings, fulfilled with love and compassion. Importantly, God’s mercy does not require us to meet any criteria and is not offered as a reward. Instead it calls us to a loving response of gratitude and thankfulness. So, like Elizabeth and her neighbours, let us rejoice for our God who sees into our hearts and responds to our needs.