Advent – Day 10
“In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.” – Luke 1:5-7
And so it begins. The sovereign events surrounding the coming of the Messiah, which are foretold all the way back in Genesis, begin to unfold with rapidity here. The stage is set, and the people who will see the birth of Jesus are in place. They don’t know it yet, but the Lord is about to reveal it. The greatest gift is about to be unwrapped. Can you imagine the compounding hope and expectation that will boil over in exultation when they realize they will be the generation who will see the savior’s birth?
But in Luke 1:5-7, they don’t yet know it. In these verses, Zechariah and Elizabeth and all of Israel are waiting. The light has yet to dawn. They are a people living in darkness, a darkness with the promise of light, but darkness nonetheless. And yet, in the midst of this darkness, Zechariah and Elizabeth remain steadfast. They are faithful to the call and the commission God has given them. They trust his word; they trust his provision; they trust his promise. And in this waiting and this trusting, God is about to use them to bring forth the forerunner of the messiah.
We see God’s providential provision in every detail of this event, even down to the specifics of Zechariah’s name, which means “Yahweh Remembers”. Even when it seems everyone else has forgotten. Even when it seems like hope is dead. Even when the darkness is overwhelming. Even then … God remembers. And he proves his remembrance with the events that are to come through Zechariah and Elizabeth. We’ll see this tomorrow; we’ll see that God’s hand is in even the most intricate detail, and he is working out a plan for redemption even when all hope seems lost. He is working out the unfolding of his word even when all seems quiet.
Today you may be in a position of darkness and quiet yourself. Maybe you’ve hoped and waited and waited and hoped and the light has yet to dawn. Maybe you’ve prayed and pleaded and the provision has yet to unfold. Maybe you’re past the age for the promise to naturally be fulfilled. Maybe you feel crushed and broken and dashed into a thousand pieces, and you doubt if the Lord can ever piece you back together. If that’s you today, know that you are not alone in your sorrow and your suffering. The Yahweh who Remembers is the God who remembers you.
He has not forgotten you. He has not abandoned you. He has not left you in a million pieces. He promises redemption and rescue and restoration, and he has proven his faithfulness to those promises through thousands of years. Through Abraham and Isaac and Sarah, through Zechariah and Elizabeth and John, through Mary and Joseph and Jesus. And he will prove his faithfulness to you too.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a child, but God was going to give them something so much more. God was going to give them a son who would be the forerunner to Messiah, the promised messenger who would confirm the arrival of God’s son. In their season of waiting and hoping, God was working out a plan for redemption that was beyond what they could fathom.
Today, if you’re in season of waiting, I pray you’ll cling to this truth: Waiting on God is never wasted. For it’s in the waiting that he is working out miracles beyond which we can fathom. Today we see that Yahweh Remembers. Tomorrow we’ll see that Yahweh is Gracious. Hold on, dear one. Grace is coming. Dear Lord, you are the gracious one who remembers. You remember us in our pain and our sorrow and our suffering. You remember us in our loneliness and our lost position. You remember us when it seems everyone else has forgotten. Draw close to us today and help us to sense your presence in ways that are too powerful to deny. We thank you for the gift of your providence even when all seems impossible. Help us to trust you in the waiting.
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