A GOD WHO TAKES ACTION
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant--
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old --
Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember his covenant,
The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
(Luke 1: 68-75)

Once upon a time there was an older priest in the temple in Jerusalem named Zacharias. He and his wife Elizabeth had been childless during their long marriage. They'd basically given up on having kids, and were (he thought) past the age of having children. So one day he was chosen to burn incense at the altar, something that would happen only once in the life of a priest, and while he was doing this sacred duty, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, to inform him that he and Elizabeth were about to become parents to one who would be the forerunner of the Lord. And they were to name the child John.

You would think that a priest would know better, especially when confronted with an angel, but no. Basically he responded by saying "You're kidding me! My wife and I are too old to have children!"

Gabriel didn't have a whole lot of patience with this. I suppose when you are an angel and spend your whole existence standing before the very presence of God, uncertainty never enters the picture. He told Zacharias there would indeed be a child, but because he doubted the message, Zacharias would get to spend the next nine months unable to speak.

When the child was born, Zacharias was finally able to speak, and the first words out of his mouth were the above verses: a celebration and praise of the Lord God, for doing those things He promised His people he would do.

I can sympathize with Zacharias' reaction to Gabriel's message, though. We get so very used to the way things "usually happen" that when we get a message that something extraordinary is going to happen, even when it is something we've greatly desired (just as Zacharias and Elizabeth desired children), we still fall into that "I don't believe it!" reaction. Very few of us have the angel Gabriel delivering messages to us. But we are promised in many places in scripture that God watches out for us, that He will provide for us. He promises these things. And yet we still shake our heads, disbelieving.

God must be very patient with us. Very few of us are literally rendered speechless for nine months just because we didn't immediately get on board the good ship Lord's Promise.

And yet, when I think about it.....

I'm dealing with tough circumstances right now (as many people are - and some of them friends of mine). Anxiety has been nibbling at my psyche for months. Fear has prowled around the edges of my awareness. But I have gone through difficult times before, and the Lord has never dropped me. Yet, I let those anxieties stifle my voice, definitely stifle my praise of the Lord. I have fretted and doubted. And kept silent. Oh, I had many sessions of pleading with God, but I kept a lot of it to myself.

But then I turned myself around. Not just in the sense of talking with others, but admitting that God has never forgotten me in the past, and isn't likely to do so this time either. Feebly at first, but each day a bit more, I remind myself to speak of all God has done. As I open my fear-clenched hands, God has started putting things in them. Things not just for myself, but also to help others. Zacharias said that our rescue will enable us to serve the Lord without fear. For me, even though still in need, I now think of things I would like to do for others.

I am trusting God to provide for my own needs. I am hoping that His bounty will give me the freedom to be generous to others who are in need. But in the meantime, I've also realized that those around me have more than material needs. Everyone needs an encouraging word, an assurance of their own value in God's eyes. This doesn't cost even a penny. All it costs is a moment to step outside myself and see the person in front of me.

The Lord has visited us with His salvation. No kidding. And He does deliver on His promises. That's worth talking about.