Hello ,
Over the next
few days, I am going to be sending you a series of messages about the birth of Jesus Christ, and the events that led up to it. I don't have any illusions that Jesus was born on December 25th, but during a holiday that often gives people pause to reflect on the incredible gift that we have been given in the person of Jesus, it can be a wonderful time to share these beautiful truths!
The scriptures tell
us that Zacharias and Elizabeth were "righteous" before God, and yet they still didn't have children. Because of the society that we currently live in, the gift of children is often downplayed. Being a parent isn't as big of a deal to some people now as it was back when this story is taking place prior to the birth of Jesus.
A woman's value in societies view during this time was often tied to her ability to birth children. Her
inability to "produce" was considered by many to be a great affliction. Some even considered it to be divine punishment for sin.
All of these societal ideas were hanging over her head, and then she had the name "Elizabeth" to contend with. Her name is derived from the Hebrew word "Elisheba" which means "my God is abundance." I've often wondered if having her name felt like some sort of cruel joke to her. She desperately wanted children,
her name even reflected God's ability to produce an abundance, and yet she couldn't bare a child.
Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before God. Not just before men, but before God! Yet they didn't have what they so desperately wanted. Now they are old, stricken in years, and they must have wondered why.
"Why Lord?"
"Why couldnt we have had children? Why does it seem like those who
didn't even want to follow You had a flock of little ones running around their homes, and we couldn't even have one?" These thoughts must have crossed their minds. They were human after all, and we humans ask questions when we don't understand.
Have you ever wondered why it seems like people that don't even care about God have such an abundance, and those that want to follow Him sometimes seem to struggle along at a "snail's pace?" Has
it ever felt like the desires of your heart have been left along the wayside, and the more you pray, the less results you see?
Those questions can pervade our thoughts when life doesn't appear to "play fair."!
Life doesn't always serve up "neat little packages" for God's people to enjoy, and some days it's a real struggle to wonder what might be coming next that will cause us to ask "why."
God has proven over and over again however,
that He is capable of so much more than we ever hoped for. His plan is bigger, wider, and more involved than we could have ever imagined. His works often confound the wise, and cause people to scratch their heads in astonishment. Zacharias is about to have one of those "astonishing" encounters. We'll continue our story tomorrow.
Have a great day and God bless!
