Wonder - Day 2
The wonder of a promise
Luke 1:5-7
5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
There seems to be a contradiction into today’s passage, did you catch it?
In verse 6, we read that Zechariah and Elizabeth were “righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments.” If this is true, many of us probably struggle with the next line, “They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive.”
Having children in Biblical times was so important to a family, and as we see throughout Scripture, it was also a part of a woman’s self-worth. To be barren was a particular struggle. So for us, it doesn’t it seem to make sense that if Zechariah and Elizabeth were truly right with God and obedient to His laws, that they were barren.
I think often, we have to work on managing our expectations when it comes to our spiritual lives. We tend to think that if we pray a certain amount each day, read our Bibles, and treat others well, that we should not only receive blessings, but we should be able to sense God’s presence regularly, maybe even hear His voice.
And when those things don’t happen, we find ourselves deeply disappointed. If life takes a real negative turn, and we lose a loved one, or a career, or suffer any number of unfortunate incidents, then we sometimes throw our faith out the window because what did it give us back in return.
But imagine if you treated your human relationships this way; as if you’re only in them to get what you want out of them. The minute you don’t get what you want, you’re out.
Problem is, that’s not what commitment means, nor is it what love is.
Take for example the promises a couple commits to on their wedding day, things like; loving each other in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for richer and poorer as long as we both shall live. That sounds like you’re committing to the relationship whether things go well or not, whether you get everyone you want out of the relationship or not.
I once read that Mother Teresa struggled to sense the presence of God from the moment she accepted the call to serve the poorest of the poor in India. Now, this is a woman who loved so much, gave so much, that you would expect her walk with God was powerful and continuous. However, that wasn’t the case, at least it’s not how she felt. But Mother Teresa never abandoned that relationship just because she didn’t get what she wanted; to sense God’s presence. She was committed to God come what may and her life was proof.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were faithful to God, serving and loving even though they never had children. Now in their old age, God’s going to flip the script on them in a way they could have never imagined. They will be filled with wonder and one of them will be speechless.
QUESTIONS
Luke 1:5-7
5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
There seems to be a contradiction into today’s passage, did you catch it?
In verse 6, we read that Zechariah and Elizabeth were “righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments.” If this is true, many of us probably struggle with the next line, “They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive.”
Having children in Biblical times was so important to a family, and as we see throughout Scripture, it was also a part of a woman’s self-worth. To be barren was a particular struggle. So for us, it doesn’t it seem to make sense that if Zechariah and Elizabeth were truly right with God and obedient to His laws, that they were barren.
I think often, we have to work on managing our expectations when it comes to our spiritual lives. We tend to think that if we pray a certain amount each day, read our Bibles, and treat others well, that we should not only receive blessings, but we should be able to sense God’s presence regularly, maybe even hear His voice.
And when those things don’t happen, we find ourselves deeply disappointed. If life takes a real negative turn, and we lose a loved one, or a career, or suffer any number of unfortunate incidents, then we sometimes throw our faith out the window because what did it give us back in return.
But imagine if you treated your human relationships this way; as if you’re only in them to get what you want out of them. The minute you don’t get what you want, you’re out.
Problem is, that’s not what commitment means, nor is it what love is.
Take for example the promises a couple commits to on their wedding day, things like; loving each other in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for richer and poorer as long as we both shall live. That sounds like you’re committing to the relationship whether things go well or not, whether you get everyone you want out of the relationship or not.
I once read that Mother Teresa struggled to sense the presence of God from the moment she accepted the call to serve the poorest of the poor in India. Now, this is a woman who loved so much, gave so much, that you would expect her walk with God was powerful and continuous. However, that wasn’t the case, at least it’s not how she felt. But Mother Teresa never abandoned that relationship just because she didn’t get what she wanted; to sense God’s presence. She was committed to God come what may and her life was proof.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were faithful to God, serving and loving even though they never had children. Now in their old age, God’s going to flip the script on them in a way they could have never imagined. They will be filled with wonder and one of them will be speechless.
QUESTIONS
- Have you ever experienced disappointment in a relationship from an unmet expectation?
- Have you ever been disappointed in God, especially in a time when you thought you were doing all the right things?
- What expectations might you need to let go of today in order to experience God anew?
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