ZPCBlog

About the author: Cynthia McCall is married to Brian McCall and has four adult children. Her two sons are married to wonderful women, and each couple has two children. All four grandchildren were born during the time Cynthia felt called to pursue a Master of Divinity degree. Who knew graduate school and grand parenting went together?! She graduated last spring. Recently, she became a chaplain with Workforce Chaplains. At ZPC, she has been involved in the Intercessory Prayer Team, Choir, Worship Team, Grace Marriage, and leading a women’s Home Group.

“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
Luke 1:36-38

In today’s Scripture, the Angel Gabriel is speaking to Mary about her cousin, Elizabeth. We first learn about Elizabeth in Luke 1:5-7. She is introduced as the wife of a priest named Zechariah. She is a descendent of Aaron, Moses’ brother, God’s original High Priest in the Old Testament. They are described as being “righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” They were “walking the walk” as the saying goes.

These qualifiers were used because verse 7 reveals societal stigmas, which insinuated a lack of character. It says, “But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive….” My Bible notes say, “many people assumed that [childlessness] reflected divine punishment for sin.”[1] How sad. To add more insult, Scripture says, “They were both very old.” Elizabeth was beyond childbearing years. My Bible notes continue, “Custom in many Judean circles demanded that if for many years a wife of childbearing age did not bear children, the husband should divorce her so he could father children with a different wife.”[2] Praise God for Zechariah’s good character. 

Elizabeth’s hope of a future child slowly changed into an emotionally painful longing, and possibly into resentment for an unrealized dream, and shame for not giving Zechariah an heir. I wonder at what point she went numb to the desire in her heart. Sometimes, waiting so long causes that to happen. Eventually, there would have come a resignation that this dream would never be realized.

Throughout those long years, she and Zechariah braced themselves against the whispers of others. How did they handle this waiting? They turned to God. They would not have been called righteous and blameless if they did not trust God. When Gabriel spoke to Zechariah, he said, “‘your prayer has been heard.’” They both never stopped praying. Verse 24 says, “Elizabeth became pregnant….‘ The Lord has done this for me,’” She gave God all the glory.

What dream have you been waiting for, or even given up on? How are you waiting? Take the lead from Elizabeth and Zechariah. Never give up praying. Never stop pursuing God. Give the dream to him and give him glory no matter the outcome.

If you are willing, be quiet with the Lord. Offer a simple prayer, maybe even this one:

Dear God,
You know it is so hard for us humans to wait. Waiting can sometimes be painful. Lord, give me courage to hand over my dreams to You, and allow You to reveal Your will for me. Help me to trust You in the waiting. I pray in the trustworthy name of Jesus.
Amen.

Then, close your eyes and picture Jesus’ cross before you. See yourself holding your dream in the upturned palms of your hands, and see yourself laying the dream before his cross. Stay in that moment and let God reveal what he wants you to know. Offer him praise in the waiting. 

Here’s a song with which you might resonate. “In The Waiting” by Greg Long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWZqU8Z1fUU

[1] Craig S. Keener, New Testament notes for Luke 1:7, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 1738.

[2] Ibid.

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