Elizabeth
The inability to bear a child is a common theme in the Bible. In ancient times, barrenness was considered a disgrace. But time and again, we see these women having great faith in God, and God rewards them with a child. Elizabeth was such a woman. Both she and her husband Zechariah were old, she past child-bearing years, yet she conceived through the grace of God. The angel Gabriel told Zechariah the news in the temple, then made him mute because he did not believe. Just as the angel foretold, Elizabeth conceived. While she was pregnant, Mary, the expectant mother of Jesus, visited her. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy on hearing Mary’s voice. Elizabeth gave birth to her son who became John the Baptist, the prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.