Christian Reflection and Prayer

Read Luke 1:5-7. TEXT: ...There was a priest named Zechariah
... And he had a wife ... and her name was Elizabeth (Luke 1:5b).

Advent devos 2015As we begin the transition from Thanksgiving
to Christmas, we meet an old Jewish couple named Zechariah
and Elizabeth. Like us, they have much to be thankful for in their
lives. God has given them a strong faith in His coming Savior, and
they have a good reputation in their town.

But, like all of us, their thanksgiving is neither perfect nor complete.
One thing has eluded them, one thing that keeps their thankfulness
from being complete. God has not given them a child. They
celebrate the holidays together, but they have no earthly future, no
heritage, no one to whom they can pass on their holiday traditions.

What do you do when you've lived your life as well as you can,
sought to honor God, and yet find He has withheld something good
and beneficial from you--a spouse, a child, a job, a house, etc.? It
gets pretty hard to not feel there's something wrong in your
relationship with God. Either He's punishing you for something you
don't remember or understand, or maybe He isn't quite as loving as
you were always told He is.

Maybe you've exited the Thanksgiving season into the Christmas
season with a big hole in your life. Like Zechariah and Elizabeth,
we turn to God and wait for His will and time. There's often nothing
else we can do.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, Your Word promises that You are good, loving
and kind to all Your children. Yet there is an empty spot in my life.
Grant me the faith and courage to trust in Your goodness and love,
and give me the patience to wait for the good that You intend to
bring from this disappointment. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

By Rev. Wayne Palmer
First Sunday in Advent: November 29, 2015