“Fulfilled at Their Proper Time” by Melanie Rigney
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. But he said to me, ‘You will be with child and will bear a son. So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.” (Judges 13:6-7)
My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory. (Psalm 71:8)
Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” (Luke 1:18-20)
Piety
Lord, help me accept Your will and Your plan, regardless of how strange they may seem to me.
Study
Zechariah’s story resonates with me, perhaps more than any other in the New Testament that does not directly involve Jesus. Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, too old, they believed, to have children. While that likely had caused them some pain and mourning, they seem to have accepted it. Luke describes them as obeying all the commandments and ordinances and tells us that somebody “randomly” selected Zechariah to enter the temple sanctuary to burn incense. Good, faithful people, these.
Then, wham! The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah with all sorts of amazing, wonderful news! They will have a son, and they will name him John. John will have a role in preparing the people’s hearts and minds for the Lord’s coming.
My initial reaction as I read about Gabriel’s visit is, “Wow! How cool is that? How blessed Elizabeth and Zechariah are! How holy they must be, to receive what probably was their hearts’ desire and to know God’s special role for their son! How could Zechariah possibly ply Gabriel with questions instead of falling to his knees and offering prayers of thanksgiving?”
But then, it’s a lot easier to embrace the Lord’s surprises when they’re in someone else’s life when we know the end of the story. I think of the times God has made the plan quite clear to me—and I, like Zechariah, have been full of protestations and questions. Sure, I like to think that like Zechariah, I eventually get with the program, but sometimes “eventually” is a lot longer than the months it took Zechariah.
And so, I love Zechariah’s story. The angle of the Lord literally struck him speechless until his heart and soul and brain expand enough to be obedient. God, in essence, protected Zechariah from himself. And I humbly thank God for the times He has protected me from myself.
Action
Consider the example of Zechariah the next time you question God’s presence in challenges you or your loved one’s face.
Image credit: The image is by the English poet and artist William Blake (https://commons.wikimedia.
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