|
Week of July 19, 2009
KEY VERSE
"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John." (Luke 1:13b) "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." (Luke 1:30b-31)
CENTRAL TRUTH
As we ponder the future for ourselves and/or our children, we do not need to be afraid; God has
a plan for His chosen ones.
DEVOTION
In Luke 1 and 2, the writer described how God sent the angel, Gabriel, to foretell the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. I've wondered how Mary and Elizabeth felt, awaiting their sons' births. I Wonder
As she sat among the women
While they did their daily sewing,
Did she sometimes feel the flutter
Of the babe within her growing? Did she often pause to ponder,
With her needle in her hand,
Why it was she had been chosen?
Would she ever understand? Was she fearful for her future?
For this honor she was glad,
But did thoughtless words of others
Find her sometimes feeling sad? Did she speak to other women
Of the blessing she'd received?
Were there any in this circle
Who knew truth that she believed? Was she trusting that her Man-child
Who was promised as a King
Would become o'er sin the victor
And the world salvation bring? Did her faithful heart within her
Meet with God in sweet accord
As she sat in prayerful waiting,
Making garments for the Lord? Elizabeth's Blessing
Elizabeth sat praising God
Beneath the olive tree
For blessing her with what had seemed
Impossibility. She held her hands around her waist,
Where nestled close inside,
The child she'd longed for from the day
She had first become a bride. She pondered on the future of
The babe beneath her breast,
Not knowing he'd wear camels' hair
And live in wilderness, Nor that he'd live on locusts with
Wild honey from the bees,
And someday get a word from God
To warn the Pharisees. The angel told before his birth
The witness that he'd bear,
That he'd be one to go before,
The Lord's path to prepare. She surely was not cognizant
He'd baptize God's own Son
And see the Spirit, like a dove,
Descend on Holy One. Yet when her cousin, Mary, came
To share her promised joy,
Her infant leapt inside her womb
For Mary's Baby Boy. This thought she savored in her heart
Great happiness to bring:
Her unborn promised son would be
The cousin of the King.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Can you think of a time God has revealed and worked out a part of His plan for your life?
- For what concerns in the future for yourself and/or your children are you trusting God?
|
