AP

Luke 1:5-7  In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.  Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.  But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

The emotionally stressful, even traumatic, situation of childlessness that confronted Zechariah and Elizabeth throughout their long marriage has been shared by many other godly, servant-hearted couples down through the ages.  There are many such examples in Scripture, but this doesn’t make it any easier for those who are called upon to endure it.  It can be a very lonely and perplexing experience, and we all need to support people we might know who are travelling this road, prayerfully, sensitively and confidentially.

But the most helpful and encouraging thing we learn from this Scripture (and all the other similar instances) is that, difficult, confusing and humiliating as it was for poor Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Sovereign Lord was fully in control of the whole matter, and the consequence of their faithful patience and trust was the outworking of God’s eternal Plan of Salvation – and these two humble Jewish people going down in human history to be remembered by name for generations to come.

“Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.  For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”  (Psalm 30:4-5).  Don’t hear me saying that the ‘waiting and trusting’ is easy or without considerable pain, but we must hang on to God’s promise of his ‘peace that passes unnderstanding’ in the midst of the pain.

It’s in this light that we should constantly support one another in prayer.

– Bruce Christian