It’s a Psalm of praise kind of day!

Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise him enough? Psalm 106:1-2

Luke 1:5-25 (<<click to read the passage)

So many things in life are easy to say that we believe but much more difficult to live out. For example, I spoke on prayer yesterday in our services. We all would readily acknowledge that prayer is of the utmost importance for those of us who faithfully follow Christ but, truth be told, many of us struggle with spending time with Him in intimate conversation.

There is one more thing that I must address in this particular passage of Scripture – and remember we are hand-in-hand with our Lord and Savior on a Christmas adventure! Read verses 6 and 7 again,

Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

Our heavenly Father was very particular on who He chose to bring the forebearer of His Son into the world. Zechariah and Elizabeth had given themselves totally over to serving God. They were obedient and were righteous in God’s eyes, not their own (…the exact opposite of the Pharisees and Sadducees.)

One does not get to this point in a relationship with God without regular communication with Him and without immersing oneself into His word. They knew God and His word and they wholeheartedly believed God and His word, as well. I’m sure if you would have asked either of them to share the story of Abram and Sarai (renamed Abraham and Sarah by God later) they could have rattled it off without one bit of problem.

Now remember, God had promised to make a great nation out of Abraham (he was 75-years-old at the time!) but he did not see God’s promise come to fruition until Isaac was born when he was 100 years old! Zechariah knew that…he believed that! He absolutely knew and would have exuberantly proclaimed that absolutely nothing was impossible with God. But…so many things in life are easy to say that we believe but much more difficult to live out.

When Zechariah stood there alone before the angel Gabriel in the sanctuary of the Temple, what was the first thing out of Zechariah’s mouth when he heard he was going to be a father?

“How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” v18

Can you blame him? No! Would we have responded any differently? No!

Next on the agenda, the angel Gabriel was speaking to Mary – the soon to be mother of Jesus – and he shares with her the good news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. He says in verses 36-37,

“And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.”

Did you catch that? “For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” Zechariah eventually believed. Mary believed. How about you? And I’m not talking about their particulars…do you believe that “with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible”? That my friend is for you!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

No matter what you are up against…no matter how hopeless your situation seems…nothing – absolutely, positively nothing is or ever shall be impossible for our Almighty God. Cling to that promise! We may not get what we think is best but we will most certainly get what God knows is best for us!

Oct 7th, 2019, Mon, 12:32 pm