Elizabeth had spent her whole lifetime preparing to be John the Baptist’s mom. Or more accurately, Elizabeth spent her whole lifetime being prepared by God to be John the Baptist’s mother – and she didn't even know it. You see, she had been brought up in a priestly family. She was a righteous and pious woman. In spite of that, she couldn't have children. In her day, barrenness was the worst tragedy that could happen to a woman – and to her family.
Here's a little background about this important woman of faith. Elizabeth, was the wife of the priest Zacharias. Elizabeth and Zacharias lived in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea. She was from the daughter's of Aaron; which makes Elizabeth part of the linage of a priestly family.
The relationship between Elizabeth, and her husband Zacharias, was a loving, nurturing one; despite the fact that they were old and childless. The childlessness of Elizabeth would have been grounds for a divorce if Zacharias wished it. But, their love was such that Zacharias accepted Elizabeth being barren.
The assurances that Zechariah and Elizabeth were “righteous” people were made in part because – well, because they were barren. And, no matter how nice somebody might seem, their friends and family thought, “you have to wonder about them. If they were so good, why God had allowed such a terrible thing to happen to them?”
For years, she and Zechariah had prayed that the Lord would give them a child. And for just as many years, their prayer went unanswered. Perhaps, like many of us, once they could no longer see any natural way that their prayers could be answered (i.e., when they got too old to have kids), they probably gave up praying for that blessing.
Certainly, Elizabeth must have experienced a lifetime of struggling over her barrenness. Just as it was mentioned earlier, in a culture where the only real purpose in a woman’s life was bearing and rearing children; what good was a woman like Elizabeth?
She must have wondered, “What’s wrong with me? Why is God punishing me?” And then, long after her body was able to conceive naturally, she miraculously became pregnant – not quite like Mary, but a miracle just the same. What was impossible in the natural realm was possible only through God! That's both: a thrilling, and a humbling truth. It’s thrilling for us to see God work supernaturally in somebody else.
But, it’s humbling for those who experience it, because it means coming to the end of their own resources. What this tells us, is that before we can experience God’s power, we often need to acknowledge that we are powerless. Paul talks about his “thorn in the flesh” – a weakness he had always wanted to get rid of, until he saw that God’s power was demonstrated through it.
Think about it. Like water flowing through the cracks in a clay pot, God’s grace often flows through our weaknesses and failures All those years, Elizabeth may have felt God was punishing her; but He was preparing her. He used her weakness to demonstrate His power!
If she had given birth to John when she was 23, people would have said, “Oh, Zechariah and Elizabeth had a baby. Isn't that nice?” But because everyone knew Elizabeth couldn't have kids, her pregnancy was like a big sign to tell everybody that this was no every day birth – God was doing something and they’d better pay attention to it.
God had done an amazing thing in Elizabeth’s life. The very word “barren” brings up images of deserts and wastelands, of fruit trees without fruit, of ghost towns with tumbleweeds blowing down empty streets. Unproductive, empty, desolate – all synonyms for her condition.
That was the picture Elizabeth had of her life. Does this describe you, or the way you are feeling today? Maybe it's been such a long time since you've felt any different, that you have simply forgotten how it felt not to feel this way? Perhaps even feeling like God has forgotten about you, too?
Well now, having seen the miraculous power of God in her own life, Elizabeth began to see everything through the eyes of a renewed faith. Her experience of God’s power gave her the eyes of faith: Eyes that see possibilities where others see problems; eyes that see opportunities where others see obstacles; eyes that see miracles, where others see only the mundane.
When the pressure of everyday living starts to wear us down, we need to be more like Elizabeth. We need to look at life with the eyes of faith – expecting to see Him at work. We need to trust His Word more than even our own eyes; and to experience the joy that only true faith will bring.
Scripture: Psalm 37:5-6; John 5:25; Acts 14:22; Matthew 13:32; Romans 5:1-5; Philippians 4:13; Mark 9:23
Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me as I face this day. Help me be strong when facing opposition and grant me the wisdom to make the right decisions. Amen
May God bless you!
Amanda
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