Keep On Keeping On

I recently re-read the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, in Luke 1. Honestly, I don't really remember what I thought of them prior; I don't believe I thought much beyond the fact that they received a miracle child and were relatives of Jesus... But as I re-read the story, a couple of things began to stand out to me that I think we could all benefit from:

"In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years." - Luke 1:1-5-7 (ESV)

Set the scene: Zechariah was a priest. His wife, Elizabeth, was also of priestly lineage, and not only in title, but in deed: they were righteous and holy people. But... they had no child. As priestly people, I'm sure they knew the promises from Deuteronomy 7:12-14,

"And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock."

They had done their part, but Elizabeth was still barren, and time was not on their side anymore. I wonder all the thoughts they had as they waited patiently and prayerfully all those years. I wonder if they doubted God, if they were losing hope. Did he frequently recite Deuteronomy 7, wondering what all his service was for?

I don't know. I can speculate based on how I know I'd probably feel if I were in their situation, but I don't know. What I do know is what the Bible says: that Zechariah was there. It didn't matter how he was feeling, or if people gossiped about him and his wife. He was there, serving where and when he was called to be. And that was where he had his encounter that not only changed his life, but all of our lives today.

"Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense." - Luke 1:8-11

I love special events, don't get me wrong. If there's a prayer and praise night, trust me, I'm there (you can ask my parents), but I think we get so caught up looking for the "special" things sometimes that we forget that God is the same whether we're in the middle of nowhere on a retreat at midnight, quietly ushering people to their seats on Sunday, or just in our rooms on a Wednesday evening. Zechariah's breakthrough, his special encounter, came when he was just showing up. So what does this mean for you? Keep showing up.

It's November, Thanksgiving season, people are already beginning to reflect on the year, and maybe you feel lost because you still don't have that testimony you prayed for at the crossover service last year. Maybe you've been praying for this testimony for many crossover services... My encouragement for you is to keep showing up, keep trusting, keep on keeping on.

People like to say that God is a God of eleventh-hour miracles. Sure, He does those, so yeah, maybe you'll still get that testimony in time for Thanksgiving or crossover. But also... God is not restricted to our timelines. He's a King, He's THE King of all Kings. So even if you don't get that testimony this year, or next, keep praying, keep waiting, keep hoping, because He's got you.

Like Paul in 2 Timothy 1:12, let your testimony be, "for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me"

Grace and peace be with you!