Something really cool happened this past week – something I had been hoping for, dreaming of and praying about…for years. And then it happened again.*
I was blown away. What was God up to?
I traced back my steps. Surely I had done something to finally cause this to happen? Or did I say something differently when I prayed?
I couldn’t come up with anything.
In the New Testament, we read about the story of Elizabeth who had her own dream-come-true moment.
Luke 1:5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah…And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
In my mind, that’s not how that verse should end, especially not for this godly couple who seemed to do everything right.
BUT that was their story…for a long time. Then, Zechariah gets a little visit from an angel with some big news: “…your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” (vs 13)
We’re all happy for Zechariah and Elizabeth but I wonder if they are wondering…why now? It would have been nice if this happened a little sooner, maybe when they weren’t so advanced in years?
Elizabeth doesn’t ask questions. She simply says, “The Lord has done this for me… In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” (vs 25)
Maybe Elizabeth traced back her steps as well to figure out why God chose to do this now. Had she been a little nicer to Zechariah that week? Is it because she spent less time chatting with the other ladies at He-brews (the local coffee shop) and more time at the temple?
The more we read, the more we know. The birth of John the Baptist was bigger than Zechariah and Elizabeth. In fact, it was bigger than John the Baptist himself.
Galatians 4:4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son…
The timing of Jesus’ arrival was a factor in God’s plan. That means, so was the birth of John. After all, it was prophesied that John would prepare the way of the Messiah.
Maybe you are a Christ follower who is doing everything right that you know to do…and like Elizabeth, there is a BUT in your story too.
Single. Childless. Diagnosed. Unemployed. Bankrupt. Unfulfilled dream.
Elizabeth’s story reminds us that our promise may not be fulfilled how or when we expect. In the meantime, we remain submitted to God and His plan…and keep doing what we’ve always done.
We pray. We wait. We hope. We believe.
Her story also reminds us that sometimes what we’ve believed for may just be waiting on the right time to come.
And in His time, we see.
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! Luke 1:45
~Anu
*Disclaimer – I am not pregnant. :-)
**Photo by Niklas Rhöse on Unsplash
