Zechariah did survive the temple visit. In this experience he was given the opportunity to witness firsthand the working of God in the life of His people. He also had the great joy of knowing his prayer regarding a child had been heard. (Luke 1:13) Zechariah, like Abraham, was old. Elizabeth, like Sarah, was also past child-bearing years. As with Abraham and Sarah, this New Testament couple was given a name for their child before he was conceived. Like Isaac, John was a special man who brought a wake up call to his nation and to the world that the Messiah was coming.
1. Read Luke 1:23-25. What miracle took place for Zechariah and Elizabeth?
2. What did Elizabeth do when she realized she was pregnant?
3. What were her words in verse 25?
4. What did she emphasize about how people viewed her and what God had done for her?
5. While in seclusion, what must Elizabeth have pondered?
LESSONS AND APPLICATIONS
1. God is able to do anything. What have you asked of God sincerely and persistently that seems impossible?
2. Quiet reflection is healthy for the Christian. When have you taken time to quietly reflect on God's goodness toward you? What was the result?
3. What man sees and what God sees are usually opposite. What are you seeing through human eyes that may be different in God's eyes?
Week 5, Day 2
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5 comments:
I become extremely thankful when I take time to quietly reflect on God's goodness towards me. I know that I am blessed and I did nothing to deserve his blessings. God is so good!
I have been sincerely and persistently asking God to move us back to Corpus. I miss my family, friends & church. But I have learned that everything is in God's time and not in my time. I am SO thankful for blogs so I can stay-in-touch with everyone.
:-) Christina
I've asked God to publish my book. But the funny thing about this situation is that He is the one who told me to write the book in the first place. It sometimes frustrating that God gives you a desire to do something; and you do it, but nothing seems to come of it at first. I'm just learning patience through this entire process. I know that God has my best interest in mind; I've given it all to Him. I know that I kept my end of the bargain. I wrote the book, I've gone to the writers' conference, I've done everything I felt Him impress on me to do. I feel nothing else is needed at the moment, so I wait. And I'm no longer waiting with anxiety. Even if I died and nothing came of the book, at least I know I was obedient, and that's all I'm accountable for.
P.S. I want you back in Corpus also. I'll keep praying!
I tend to be suspect of people's motivations. Having been burned what I feel is too many times, I get suspicious. God knows a person's true motivation. I don't want to fall into a trap set up for me, but I want to have faith that God will protect me.
I'm consistently amazed when I reflect on the blessings God's given me. I know I don't deserve anything He's already given. I'm so thankful He's new every morning, giving me that grace-filled fresh start to do my best to be Christ-like.
I am blessed to read how you Christian women handle these insights. Meditating on God's word is to me like digestion. It is slow and thorough and takes time. It saved me when I was so afraid to have a second child after the birth part was so bad with the first one. I found a bunch of scriptures and read them everyday and prayed about them and sat and thought about them quietly to let them get down into my heart. I started 3 months before the baby was due and everything that I trusted from the scriptures came to pass. As Jesus said there was joy when the child was born. I took that to mean there would be no complications, and there wasn't any. I bore the child at home with no medicine and I had no problems whatsoever. God is truly good to women. Through the pains of life He has mercy on us and cares for us, even when we don't love ourselves He still loves us.
Sarah
I too can relate to y'all. Christina, when we moved to New Orleans 5 years ago, we were devestated! We wanted to be back at BAF so bad, it really hurt. We prayed for God to give us another Bay Area. We jumped from church to church looking for it. For 3 years He had us waiting, and for 3 Years we never found it. Until finally before we found out we were moving back, we got it. God sent us there for a reason. We needed to find Him and serve Him. We didn't need BAF to have a relationship with God. Although it REALLY helps! We missed our friends soooo bad! But we had to learn to create new relationships and to build our walk with God OUTSIDE of our comfort zone. THEN He gave us orders back. Now that we are back, we are ready to leave again (in about a year) and we have a stronger faith knowing that wherever we go, He will be with us.
Elisa
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