Gtcotr/ss120113
As
we begin our “Countdown to Christmas” at Church On The Rock, there are two Bible
truths which challenge us in this season:
1.
God’s plan is the best plan.
2.
One Word from God can change everything.
Luke 1
5 When Herod was king of
Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the
priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly
line of Aaron.
6 Zechariah and Elizabeth
were blameless in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments
and regulations.
7 They had no children
because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 One day Zechariah was
serving God in the Temple, for his group was on duty that week.
9 As was the custom of the
priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn
incense.
10 While the incense was
being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the
sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the
incense altar.
12 Zechariah was shaken and
overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.
13 But the angel said, “Don’t
be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will
give you a son, and you are to name him John.
God’s
plan is the best plan
·
There
is always more to the plan of God than we presently know
·
One
moment of God’s favor is worth a thousand days of our labor
·
While
we are waiting God is working
Note
the scriptures say Zachariah and Elizabeth were both blameless … blameless and
yet barren. At times we might imagine there has to be someone to blame when
things aren’t going the way we want them to go. However, the scriptures show us
there was no one to blame on earth or in heaven. I am certain Zachariah and
Elizabeth and their whole family were all disappointed but nonetheless they
remained blameless. Much like Job refused to blame God for his troubles.
“In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.” (Job 1:22 NLT)
In
our worst days, and even in our best days, God has a plan and God’s plan is the
best plan. The best any one of us could hope for is that our life, in the good
days and in the difficult days, might glorify our Heavenly Father and benefit
His plan. Why? Because His plan is the best plan.
It
is for this reason we cannot discount the ordinary every day, day in and day
out, hum drum pace of normal life. Verses 8 and 9 show us the importance of
simply showing up and doing what we are told and trusting God for everything
else. Imagine what would have happened if Zechariah discounted the importance
of his daily duties. It was an ordinary day …
Zechariah
was not expecting a miracle that day … he was simply going about his ordinary
duties of life by showing up and doing whatever he was assigned to do.
Zechariah was no one special, in fact a good argument could be made for the
opposite. However:
Extraordinary
opportunities come at very ordinary times to very ordinary people. And even
when we don’t feel special, still we are. The truly extraordinary people are
those who conquer the ordinary … others are merely “wannabees.” They want to be
chosen but can’t qualify. You see, it is often the ordinary which qualifies us
for the extra ordinary! And, without regard to our current situation, one Word
from God changes everything!
Two
more quick notes as we begin our Countdown to Christmas this year:
·
Though we may lose sight of our prayer requests, God never does.
·
God is not limited to what we know; what we are going through; or
how we feel.
God
has a plan and His plan is the best plan. He has not forgotten you or your
needs. One Word from Him can change everything. Have you heard from God today?
Let’s pray and place our lives securely in His hands.
