When God Says …
“And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” (Luke 1:24-25 KJV).
True to the announcement of the angel Gabriel, upon Zacharias’ return home from his priestly duties at the Temple, Elizabeth got pregnant. Many questions arise in the minds of many about her five months of seclusion upon knowing of her conception. The answer to those questions can be surmised as her utmost care to protect the child that the Lord gifted her in her state of barrenness. That would be the wisest step a woman in her state who has been ostracized in those times for not giving her husband a child. She must have been subjected to enormous trauma for being called a barren woman. In that era, bearing a child is the highest honor a wife can give to her husband. We saw that in Sarah’s dire effort to bless her husband Abraham with a child (Genesis 16:1-2). And, with Rachel too, doing the schemes she did so to raise a family of hers through her maid with her husband Jacob (Genesis 30:3-8).
So, in gratitude for her blessings, Elizabeth went off to relish her pregnancy for five months. She declares with amazement: “So this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!” (Luke 1:25b MSG). Yes, in her old age, she’s been branded a disgrace by many for a long time. It is not her making. It is beyond her control, but society is harsh and unreasonable. They label you at whims, or even cancel you - like what we observe in this ungodly world of our day. Hence, she is truly grateful the Lord looked at her and took away her dismay of her inferior worth perceived by society.
This is such a great reassurance for us who hangs on patiently in our trust in the Lord, being His redeemed by faith. Apostle Paul exhorts us with these words: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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