Walk in the Woods
Journal: #293 Zacharias and Elizabeth
As I read this story today I am reminded of two powerful truths. One, God is faithful. He hears our cries and anguish. Life is a challenge and walking with Him is the only way to make sense of it. Two, the Lord has a plan. And, it’s good. John the Baptist was the one who prepared the way for Jesus. It was the Lord’s timing he is born when he was, just before the birth of Jesus.
“[h]e has seen fit to take away my disgrace before men.”
- Elizabeth, Cousin of Mary, Aunt to Jesus
Crazy shit happens in life. Our loved ones die, businesses collapse, and technology keeps us moving. Much of life is beyond our control and appears to lack reason or purpose. I’m sure that’s how Zacharias and Elizabeth felt when they produced no children after a few years of marriage. Go read Luke 1. Zacharias is a public figure, a priest. Elizabeth is a known woman in Jerusalem, her empty womb a topic of conversation. She calls herself ‘disgraced’ by men for her lack of fruit. (Sadly, many women still feel this way when they cannot get pregnant.) Then the angel appears to Zacharias and everything changes.
As I read this story today I am reminded of two powerful truths. One, God is faithful. He hears our cries and anguish. Life is a challenge and walking with Him is the only way to make sense of it. Two, the Lord has a plan. And, it’s good. John the Baptist was the one who prepared the way for Jesus. It was the Lord’s timing he is born when he was, just before the birth of Jesus.
If you’re like me, you ask “why couldn’t it happen any other way?” It’s a smart question without a satisfying answer. (The answer is always because it did.)
Recently, I’ve asked the Lord “why” about several events in my life. The answer is always because it did. What I choose to hold onto is what Zacharias held onto- God is good. Zacharias stuck to his calling and walked with God. It’s a glorious story. Very often, we want a pain-free life. We want answers. These are normal human responses- even Zacharias questioned the angel— but they are not faithful responses*. Faith is rising every day to say, “Lord, I’m here. Your will be done.”
*Doubt is not a sin.