childless – Fearless Living

We begin our Christmas journey with the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah as given in Luke 1:5-6. “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.”

Often we do not see the reason for our suffering. Elizabeth suffered socially and mentally with the burden of childlessness. It was thought that this was a curse from God as the ability to have children was a gift from God. Anyone who was barren was considered flawed and looked down upon. However, this did not diminish or change her character and both she and Zechariah were observant Jews and loved the Lord. Elizabeth did not know why she did not have children but as we will see, God had a plan and a purpose for them to fulfill. God is Omniscient. He knows all our circumstances, he is never surprised and there is no where in the spiritual or physical world that God is not. God knew about Elizabeth and Zechariah’s desire to have a child and their grief over being childless. However, they did not let their sorrow or grief turn to bitterness and kept faith in God and His plan for their lives.

I can relate to this story in so many ways. I, myself, waited 14 years for the arrival of my daughter. She arrived on December 1 to a family that was filled with anticipation, joy and thankfulness. Her name is also Elizabeth, after our grandmothers, and she is a constant joy in my life. Like Elizabeth and Hannah, I had prayed for a child and that did not happen naturally. God led us to an adoption agency that brought our daughter from Korea. I had prayed and claimed, as I’m sure Hannah and Elizabeth did too, Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” God in His omniscience knew the child He had for us, but I had to walk believing in Him and trust Him for the future. I had to trust in His plans whether there was a child or not in my future. When scriptures tells us Elizabeth walked with God and was observant, I translate that to mean she believed and walked with God no matter what the future held.

How about you? Are you walking with God trusting Him for your future. I claim Jeremiah 29:11 and hold onto God’s goodness. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has plans for me and you, they will always be for our good and His glory. We may not see it today but we have to trust Him and know in His Omniscience His way is good.

As we see this story unfold, the of God’s goodness for Elizabeth and Zechariah is beyond their wildest imagining. The blessings will be multiplied and their trust in God magnified. May it be so with all of us!

Linda

Our story begins during the reign of King Herod who reigned from 37-4 B.C. He comes into the story later but that gives us the time period in history. Elizabeth and Zechariah are the future parents of John the Baptist who was a fore-runner of Jesus. Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were relatives.

Luke 1: 5-7 “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. ⁶Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. ⁷They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.”

A couple of things stood out as I read this passage: they were both old and childless and God commended them as righteous and obedient. Since we know in the story Elizabeth becomes the mother of John the Baptist, this being old and childless was an impossible situation. God used the impossible to bring about joy and preparation for Jesus’ arrival. How like God to make the impossible possible. Jesus, speaking of salvation said in Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” I am reminded of Hebrews 11:6 ” And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Elizabeth and Zechariah were people of faith and were the perfect couple to show the power and might of God in their lives bringing joy to them as parents and servants of God and honor and glory to God. Do you trust God when faced with difficult or impossible situations? Do you believe and seek to please God with your faith in Him?

The second thing I noticed was God’s commendation of them as believers. He called them righteous in His eyes, in right standing with Him, blameless and pure. Their right standing with God came from their faith in Him and obedience to the law. Like Abraham their faith was counted to them as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” They were not sinless but were faithful and sincere about keeping God’s commandments. How sincere are you about walking each day with Jesus? Do you study His Word and seek to know Him better? Would Jesus consider you to have a blameless walk with Him?

Let us take a lesson in Hope from Zechariah and Elizabeth. Faith in God makes all things possible, will please God and bring us joy. Advent means hope and joy though faith in Jesus. Trust God for the impossible and see how He will grow your faith and increase your joy!

Linda