Scripture says the devil led Jesus up to a high place to tempt Him. And Jesus countered the temptation with the Word of God. Then the devil led Him to another high place to try again. But this time, he used the Word of God too. Because the devil knows the promises God has given us. And he will do anything to get power over our lives. The devil wanted Jesus to test God. And Jesus refused to do it. How many times have we been led to high places? Promises of power or money or prestige? How many times have we been blinded by the desire of worldly things? Or allowed the Word to be twisted to fit our wants? How many times has the devil come into our lives and asked us to test God? How many times has he convinced us to use the Word of God to justify our wrongdoing? There’s nothing more the devil wants, then to see us in hell. And there’s nothing more Jesus wants, then to make sure we don’t go there. But the choice is ours. Neither can make it for us. The devil may have led us to temptation. But that doesn’t mean we have to stay there.

They had done everything right. They observed all the Lord’s commandments. They followed His regulations blamelessly. Zechariah was a priest. He served the Lord daily. But they had no children. Elizabeth was barren. The prayer they had prayed for a lifetime had never been answered. And yet they kept serving. Kept honoring God. Even into their old age. To the world it looked like God had forgotten them. To the world it looked disgraceful. Bearing children meant God’s favor. And the world assumed they didn’t have it. But God’s timing wasn’t their timing. It wasn’t back then. And it isn’t now. God heard their prayer. And He had it come to pass at just the right moment. For them. And for us. Because their child would be the one who would make a way for His son. The world assumed the worst. And yet God planned the best. What would you have done if you were Zechariah? If you were Elizabeth? What would you have done if your deepest prayer wasn’t met? If it seemed God wasn’t answering? Or a lifetime passed with no results? Would you keep serving Him? Would you still live upright? Would you still follow His commandments when your heart was broken? Would you be willing to trust that God is still faithful, even when what you wanted, didn’t come as you planned?

The Lord has done this for me

The Lord has done this for me. Elizabeth had been barren her whole life and was well beyond her childbearing years. But God is not confined by circumstance. Or what the world defines as normal. His plan for Elizabeth required great faith. Her advanced age should have been a reason for her to doubt. It certainly made her husband question God. But Elizabeth saw it with different eyes. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. She gave birth to a son, who became John the Baptist. The very one who prepared the way for Jesus. Elizabeth had waited her whole life for her prayer to be answered. Enduring unimaginable disgrace. Because to the world, it looked like she had been forgotten by God. But Elizabeth wasn’t forgotten. She was favored. And her response showed her strong faith. That even though her prayer wasn’t answered how she expected it, it was answered beyond what her expectations could ever be. Oh Lord, help us to have faith like that. A faith that has us keep watching. A faith that helps us keep waiting. A faith that when the blessing comes, we recognize it. And we recognize You for it. So many times, Lord, Your blessing comes and we take it for granted. We expect it. We’re not grateful for it. And we forget to thank You for it. We’ve become a people that demand constant happiness. And easy roads. We don’t appreciate struggles. Or setbacks. Or waiting. Lord, we hate to wait. Our faith is an impatient faith. An arrogant faith. A faith that forgets that You have a plan. A bigger plan. A better plan. Help us to be like Elizabeth, Lord. That when the blessing comes, our first response is to remember where it came from. May we stop and give You the Glory. May we remember that it’s not through our hands, but through Yours, that each of our blessings flow. Forgive us, Lord, please forgive us when we don’t. In Jesus’ Name we pray.

Your prayer has been heard. How can I be sure of this?

Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a child. But year after year passed and she remained barren. They remained faithful through it all. Upright in the sight of God. By the time Gabriel, the angel of the Lord appeared, they were both “well along in years.” But Gabriel brought a Word from the Lord. He brought good news. “Your prayer has been heard. Your wife will bear you a son. And he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” What wonderful news! Except it wasn’t wonderful to Zechariah. It doesn’t say how long ago the prayer was prayed. Or for how long the prayer remained the same. It doesn’t say if the prayer had long ago been abandoned. Or if the dream of a child was a yesterday prayer. But it does record Zechariah’s doubt. His disbelief. “How can I be sure of this?”, he asked. He wanted proof. Zechariah was in the temple serving God when Gabriel appeared. Worshipers were praying outside. He was as close to God as he could be. And yet he still doubted. He still wanted proof that what God said He would do, would be done. Oh Lord, that is all of us. Still doubting when it doesn’t happen how we want. Or when we want. Still believing our timetable would make more sense. That our desires should be higher than Yours. Lord, we pray and we want instant answers. Easy answers. Answers that fit in with our agenda. We pray and then give up on prayers. And certainly don’t keep praying for years. We aren’t a people that follows through. We are easily discouraged. Easily given to doubts. We question You, Lord. Even when You send good news. Even when our prayer is answered. But especially if You asked us to wait for that answer. Because we are not a people who likes to wait for anything. Even to wait for You. Forgive us, Lord, for our selfish motives. Forgive our doubting hearts. Forgive our unbelief. May we be steadfast in trusting that Your way is the only way. In Jesus’ Name we pray.

An Evening Prayer

 

But he went away angry

He was furious. He felt disrespected. His anger made him turn away. He would have missed the miracle if he stayed mad. He would have missed what God was trying to do if he refused to listen. His fury at how he thought things were supposed to go had him blinded to any other option than what he believed should happen. He wanted it done his way. And he wanted it done now. And in doing so his arrogance left no room for God. But in a turn of events, Naaman was asked a simple question. And that question changed everything for him. It changed his demeanor. It changed his perspective. It changed his outcome. Naaman went away angry, but he didn’t stay away. He came back. He did what the man of God asked. He put aside his own expectations. His own assumptions. He stopped trying to do it his own way. Oh Lord, that this would be us. That when our hearts are hardened, we turn back. That when it’s not happening our way, we still believe You. That when the miracle doesn’t come, when we want it or how we want it, we still trust You. That when You’ve asked us to do what we don’t want to do, we do it anyway. Open our hearts, Lord. Help us to see what You need us to see. Forgive us when we go away angry, Lord. Oh Lord, please forgive us, when our way is not Your way. In Jesus’ Name we pray. 

Shut the Door

Shut the door behind you. Shut out the distractions. Shut out the naysayers. Shut out the doubters. Look away from the ones trying to lead you astray. Turn from the ones who only offer negativity. And darkness. And despair. Look for the helpers. The ones who offer light. Look for the ones who have grounded themselves in the promises of God. The ones with the unshakable faith. The ones who see the impossible with their eyes but believe in the possible with their hearts. There won’t be many. There won’t be a crowd willing to believe that the God of yesterday is still the God of today. That He still longs to help. That He still keeps His Word. But the faith of Elisha. And Abraham. And David. And everyone single one who came before us and trusted. And stood up. And offered hope. Look for the ones with that kind of faith. The world will offer you a multitude of answers to your pain. But if the answer isn’t rooted in Jesus Christ, then it’s not an answer at all. It’s just another problem waiting to weigh you down. Surround yourself with a cloud of witnesses. Open your Bible. Sing songs to the Lord. Focus on your faith. And shut the door.