Who Was Called Barren

Luke 1:36 “And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this

is the sixth month with her who was called barren." 

When I hear the term barren I think of a desert.  There seems to be so little life visible.  Granted this same term can be applied to most places around Idaho during a blizzard. The shear expanse of snow-covered land is awe inspiring. The desert and snow covered landscape are barren in appearance only. The reality is that life thrives in even the most barren of terrains. Sometimes all you have to do is look long enough, carefully enough, or simply brush back the snow.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were a couple in biblical times whose faith was deep. In spite of never having conceived a child, they were always hopeful. Having someone to pass on the family legacy was very important in those times. The same can be said of modern times. The significance of having children has driven medical science to develop many methods to help couples have children.  But in biblical times, the options were not quite so expansive. It was a situation where if a couple could not conceive it could severely test their faith. It provided opportunities for doubt to creep in.  But that is not the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were strong of faith and in how they practiced their faith.  The words of Luke 1:6&7 help us to understand just how strong their faith was.  “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.”  The fact that Zechariah and Elizabeth could only conceive a child when the time was right (in God’s time) raises an interesting point.  Yes, children are a gift from God. And I know this can be difficult to accept when they are being difficult to deal with. But regardless of when or for that matter how we are given children, they are a gift from God to be cherished, loved, and cared for.  When we lose sight of that we make mistakes.  We are in the season of Advent when we look anxiously towards the day we celebrate the birth of a child. The birth of the Christ child is the reason for the season. That draws us all together in worship during Advent to reflect on His birth. Born of a virgin, a circumstance beyond what mortal man could accomplish. It was, and still is a miracle to be sure. But that birth, just like the birth of a child to Zechariah and Elizabeth was in God’s time.  It was in God’s perfect timing that all these events transpired. We who are impatient beings even under the best of circumstances need to take a step back and remember that all things happen in God’s time and not ours. We need to pray for that understanding lest we become frustrated and fall away.

PRAYER: Father we seek You out in prayer today to help us frail and imperfect beings with our faith. We ask for Your love and kindness even when we are impatient with You. We ask for the faith we need to endure. Help us to grasp onto that which You understand so clearly and yet escapes us. We believe, and help us in our unbelief. We ask this in the name of the one who calmed the waters and brings home all who draw near to him. Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

How Can This Be?

Luke 1:36-37 “And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this

is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." 

I am blessed with three wonderful children of my own and a stepson. Matt, Andy, Kate, and Michael are their names. Each is special to me in their own unique way. No two of my kids are the same. And each has brought great joy, and some amount heart ache to my life as they have grown from infants, through their childhood years, and now into being young adults. I can without hesitation say that children are blessing of the Lord.  Similarly I can also say as a parent that there have been times when I have shaken my head in disbelief at something one of my kids has said or done and said “How Can This Be?”

There are some things we encounter in our lives that just defy all explanation. They are “How Can This Be?” moments.  One that comes to mind is how the miners in Chile were able to stay alive long enough for the rescuers on the surface to, 1) drill down and determine they were alive, and 2) drill a hole large enough to send down a rescue capsule that brought them out. The hand of God was clearly visible throughout this whole process. Praise God through whom all things are possible!  We often see the hand of God in many aspects of life here on earth. The “simple” matter of us walking around in God’s creation serves as a constant reminder of what God can do. Those things are the visible and tangible elements we can grab onto and show others.  And what about things that are not so evident? There are examples of the hand of God at work within all of us. Stop and think for a moment. Do you know of someone, maybe even yourself that was lost and now is found? Is there someone in your circle of friends or family that has come back to God and embraced Jesus Christ as their Savior? Chances are you know someone.  The before and after pictures of their life may give you reason to stop and say “How Can This Be?”  These people have been given life, life eternal, by the faith poured out by the Holy Spirit into their hearts.  Just as Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed for a child - a new life to enter into their lives - we pray for friends and family who are dead in sin and do not know life eternal in Jesus Christ. We pray because our words and actions alone will not cause the change to happen in the lives of these people. We pray that the Holy Spirit will enter into their lives.  We do this because we love our neighbors as we love ourselves (See Matthew 22:39). We also know that nothing, absolutely nothing, will be impossible with God.  Please God, give us “How Can This Be?” moments every day of our lives!

PRAYER: Most merciful God, Your servants reach out in prayer for many things. We have been given this wonderful gift of prayer and cherish the fact that we have a God who loves us so much that He wants to hear from us about even the most trivial of things. We are blessed by Your love for each and every one of us. For this we give thanks. We ask for Your Spirit to pour into the hearts of those in our lives who do not know You. Father, we want those who do not walk with You to be drawn to Your side. Our heart aches for those who do not know Your Son as their savior. Help us Lord, to be filled with Your Spirit that reaches out to the lost. Guide our efforts Dear God in this endeavor, as in all aspects of our lives. May Your will be done in our lives. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus Christ. Amen

A Feeling Of Great Comfort

Luke 1:28&29 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 

You have probably heard about how the weather in the eye of a hurricane is amazingly calm.  At least in comparison to the other parts of a hurricane.  Having been at ground zero for hurricane Henriette in 2007, I can attest to this fact. The light winds and blue sky appearing overhead seems so out of place.  It does not last for very long, but while it is there it is a marvel to behold.

I want to pose a question to you.  What if your life could be just like constantly living in the eye of a hurricane?  By that I mean, what if you could be surrounded on all sides by chaos, calamity, and catastrophe and yet remain in a state of calm in the midst of all which surrounds you?  I am thinking it would be a nice existence, to be calm when all around you are in turmoil.  Interestingly enough that is how it should be for all Christians. You see, Mary is not the only one who the Lord is with. He is with each and every one of us. He is there 24/7 always at our side.  While turmoil and chaos surround us, He is right there by our side. Our protection is the armor of God. Remember from Ephesians 6 the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. All these are for our protection. And that is why we all should have a feeling of great comfort. We are covered, we are protected. The concerns and worries of this world will all pass away when we look at the bigger picture as Christians. Does that mean we should adopt the “what me worry” perspective. By all means, NO. But what that does mean is that our salvation is assured by our faith. Christ paid the price we ourselves cannot pay. That is the bigger picture. We can come to Him in prayer for all things.  And we can take great comfort in the words of Ephesians 3:20&21. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.  

PRAYER: Almighty God, we cling to Your promise of salvation in times of trouble. We reach out to You as a child reaches out to their parent. We long for Your Words of peace to calm our souls. Help us on this day, and everyday, to hold strong to You and You alone. May Your Holy Spirit fill us with the faith we need to see us through the good times and the bad times. Help us to hold onto Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen