Luke 1:18-25
There have been times in my life when I’ve felt overwhelmed after God gave me a dream or a vision.
My first reaction was…how can this be?
That’s because what God revealed was beyond (so far away) what I knew to be true at the time. I couldn’t understand how God could possibly get me from one point to another.
It just didn’t seem possible.
Many of the dreams I’ve had in the past five years didn’t make any sense at all. That’s because the groundwork hadn’t been revealed by God.
It required faith.
But, here’s the deal…I didn’t have to conjure up the faith. I had to learn that all I needed to do was trust God for today.
I had to learn to turn to God when I was afraid and piece by piece let go of my fear of uncertainty.
At first, I had to simply accept what God had shown me. That meant I had to accept my fear of unknowing. I had to let God be God.
I had to admit I am not powerful and God is powerful.
By relying on the power of God I eventually (day by day) admitted I am not in charge of my future. I had to let God be in charge.
As the relationship between myself and God developed and deepened I trusted God more and more.
It didn’t change overnight.
It was a process based of letting go of being in charge.
Ultimately the faith I needed was a gift God gave me.
I had my first dream from God when I was a young teenager. That was about fifty-five years ago. The dreams and visions became a guiding light God used to show me the way.
It was the way God had for me.
In Luke 1 God was showing Zechariah the way he had for Zechariah and Elizabeth. When God revealed His plan to Zechariah his initial response was one of confusion.
In Luke 1:18 we see his response: “And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
Zechariah was human. He didn’t say no…he said, how? The truth was that because of his age and especially Elisabeth’s age having a child didn’t seem possible.
It wasn’t possible with man.
I love the Angel Gabriel’s response! In Luke 1:19 we learn, “And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
Gabriel reminded Zechariah exactly who he IS and whose he IS.
Gabriel spoke truth. He proclaimed that he stands in the presence of Almighty God.
The words he spoke came from God. They were a promise. They were truth. God cannot not reveal something that is not true.
When I was younger I had to learn that.
Zechariah had to learn that. So God’s response to Zechariah was one of patience and love. The Angel Gabriel told Zechariah that God was giving him the gift of silence so he would have time to pray and process what was happening and what would happen.
God loved Zechariah.
God gave him time to be silent and process the changes in his life.
Then we learn in Luke 1:21-25, “And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Notice, Zechariah didn’t have to try to explain what the Angel revealed to him. Because he couldn’t speak his congregation knew something had happened…like he had a vision. He tried to use sign language but it didn’t work.
Also notice that Zechariah wasn’t able to speak to Elizabeth. When she conceived she did not have forewarning. She didn’t know the Angel Gabriel had appeared to Zechariah.
Elizabeth simple conceived.
Suddenly and without warning to her she was with child.
We know from her response in Luke 1:25 that she had suffered for a very long time because she had been barren. The word Elizabeth used in Luke 1:25 for reproach was ‘Oneida’s’ which was a noun meaning ‘disgrace’. Elizabeth had been disgraced by others for decades and now God have her grace.
Great grace…for her son was called to be the messenger who would proceed the Son of Almighty God!
She was given marvelous grace indeed!
Spiritual Practice: Grace
Sit with God in silence and ask God to help you feel the GRACE God gives.
In God, Deborah
Comments