A W A K E N I N G
[and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord]
The Lord recently called me to dig into the Gospel of Luke. He has given me great wisdom that I can’t help but share in this preparation season. I find myself identifying with Zechariah too well. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, had a hardship in their life. Elizabeth was barren and told by the flesh and by the world that she could not bear a child. The two began to pray. One day an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, who became troubled by this. The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you shall call his name John. But this is where I begin to identify with Zechariah. Zechariah began to doubt and question God. “How should I know this is true? For my wife and I are advanced in age, how is this possible?”
…you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time. Luke 1:20
Skip down a few verses and we see that an angel has now appeared to Mary, telling her that she will bear a son, and he shall be named Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
But Mary, like myself, begins to question these promises. She begins to respond with things like “How can this be, for I am a virgin? This is impossible.”
[For nothing will be impossible with God] – Luke 1:37
And what comes next is the Mary I long to be more like. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. (v. 38)
What faith.
[…and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord] – Luke 1:45
Mary’s following prayer is one I long to pray daily:
And Mary said,
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is of those who fear him. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy.
Luke 1:46-55
When I am not faithful, I am not able to speak of God’s truths. When Zechariah brought his son into the world, naming him John, the Lord immediately opened his mouth and he spoke, blessing God. Faith such as this allows us to speak of what the Lord has done.
God has revealed incredible things to me these past few days. He is showing me that He is faithful and that He will fulfill what He has promised and called me to. Luke 1 has the power to change a life. The enemy is constantly in mission to defeat us. The more we seek God, the more we are able to discern the voice of God and put behind us the voice of the enemy. Zechariah questioned God when promised a miracle. Mary doubted God in His promise to bear a son through her when she was only a virgin. But everything changed when Mary said, “behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Blessed was she who believed that there would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
The enemy will use our fears to defeat us. I recently had a dream that brought about some fears that I have for the World Race. When I awoke from the dream, I was able to discern the fear – being from the enemy. This was when the Lord revealed to me, there will always be an awakening. The enemy may try and defeat us, but God’s mercies are new every day. His promises are new every morning. He awakens me and bears my burdens. The enemy comes like a thief in the night, but the Lord comes with life and hope.
