Scripture Focus: Luke 1.18, 34, 37
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
“…no word from God will ever fail.”

Reflection: In the Face of the Impossible
By John Tillman

Luke plunges into visionary tales of the impossible and people who, to one degree or another, expressed doubts, reservations, and fears, and felt themselves unqualified for the task.
Madeleine L’Engle, in her book, Walking on Water marvels at how often God gave glorious visions and impossible tasks to those who were ill equipped.

“We are all asked to do more than we can do. Every hero and heroine of the Bible does more than he would have thought it possible to do, from Gideon, to Esther, to Mary. Jacob, one of my favorite characters, certainly wasn’t qualified. He was a liar and a cheat; and yet he was given the extraordinary vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending a ladder which reached from earth to heaven.

In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, Nathanael is given a glimpse of what Jacob saw, or a promise of it, and he wasn’t qualified, either. He was narrow-minded and unimaginative, and when Philip told him that Jesus of Nazareth was the one they sought, his rather cynical response was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” And yet it was to Nathanael that Jesus promised the vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending upon the son of man.”

God chooses to do the impossible with the unqualified, to frustrate the wise with the foolish, and to overthrow the strong with the weak. He subverts the systems we rely on and reminds us that our competence is an illusion and his grace shown through us comprises all that is good in the world.

We face the impossible, like Zechariah, when the world sees us as cursed and broken.
We face the impossible, like Mary, when the world strives to keep us powerless and vulnerable.
In the face of the impossible we are forced to keep our faith where it always should have been—on God. We are not qualified, but, L’Engle concludes, God will be glorified.

“In a very real sense, not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there’s no danger that we will confuse God’s work with our own, or God’s glory with our own.“

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your Name give glory; because of your love and because of your faithfulness. — Psalm 115.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 18 (Listen 3:54)
Luke 1.1-38 (Listen 9:26)

Read more about Angelic Visions Require Childlike Faith
Madeleine L’Engle was often perplexed at the tendency of scholarly Christians to hold at arm’s length the angels and miracles of the Bible.

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Scripture Focus: Luke 1.5-7
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

From John: This month, on Tuesdays, we welcome guest writer, Dena Dyer. Dena graciously has donated her talents to our ministry in many ways, including sharing her wisdom about writing with our student writers in online sessions. I know you will be blessed by her series this month on weary women of the Bible.

Reflection: How to Cope with Barren Seasons
By Dena Dyer

Imagine with me: Elizabeth, a barren older woman married to the priest Zechariah, prepares a simple supper of fish, bread, and figs for her husband. Perhaps she hears children playing, and her heart grows heavy with the sound. 

Suddenly, Zechariah bursts through the door, motioning for his wife to sit. He rushes around the room, finding first a tablet and then a writing instrument. Elizabeth’s brow furrows as she sits down. Her hand flutters towards her chest, as if to quell the furious beating in her heart. Has he become gravely ill? Is that why he isn’t speaking? Or has something happened in the temple?

As her worries mount, Zechariah reveals on the tablet the astounding news the angel Gabriel told him. 

At first, she laughs in disbelief, just like her ancestor Sarah did. Then she sees Zechariah’s face. “You’re serious!” she exclaims, as her husband takes her in his arms. They embrace for a long time as tears stream down their faces. Their God has blessed them, more than they could have ever imagined. 

Luke 1:25 notes that Elizabeth said, ‘Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamed of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame.” In biblical times, infertility was seen as a curse. Husbands with barren wives could even divorce them and find another woman to bear their children.

Elizabeth’s name means “God is my oath” or “My God is good fortune.” God took note of the elderly couple’s obedience to keep their oaths to Him, and they experienced the good fortune God showered down on them. Elizabeth gave birth to the baby who would grow up to be John the Baptist. He paved the way for, and baptized, the Savior of the world. Indeed, God overwhelmed her with mercy. 

Later in the first chapter of Luke, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when her cousin Mary, pregnant with the promised Messiah, visited the older woman. Elizabeth says to Mary: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear…Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’”

We all have barren places in our lives, areas which are littered with broken dreams and unanswered prayers. God’s ways are mysterious, which means we don’t often get to see the big picture or realize why He allows us to suffer. Yet, He challenges us to draw near to Him and pour out our souls, trusting in His character instead of shutting Him out or running from Him.

If we’re to have a heart that honors Him, let’s model our faith after Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s and not allow unanswered prayers to determine whether we’ll be obedient or not. Because we know He is rich in mercy and extravagant in grace, let’s pray in confident expectation that God is working ALL things, even barren seasons, for His purposes and glory.

Whether we see our prayers answered here or in our future heavenly home, we will be blessed when we believe that God will fulfill His promises to us.

About Dena: Dena Dyer is an author of eleven books, including Wounded Women of the Bible: Finding Hope When Life Hurts with Tina Samples. She’s also a speaker, worship leader, Anglophile, and movie lover who lives with her husband, youngest son, and rescue pup near Fort Worth, Texas. In her day job, she serves as Executive Assistant to Jamie Aten, founder of Wheaton’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute. Find out more about Dena’s books and resources at her website or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and glorify your Name forevermore. — Psalm 86.12

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
2 Samuel 1 (Listen – 3:54) 
1 Corinthians 12 (Listen – 4:25)

Read more about From the Belly of the Beast
Prayer and thankfulness seem natural around a table of friends and family. But prayer can be even more powerful in the dark places of our lives.

Read more about Under His Covering
She trusted him to provide for her in a myriad ways and leaned on him to give her strength throughout Jesus’ birth and life.