What would you do if you knew details about your future? How would you live your life differently if you knew the impact of all the little decisions and events you face? In Luke 1 we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth. This barren couple had prayed for years that God would give them children. But God had withheld offspring, and in Luke 1 they are beyond the age when anyone would expect them to have a family. This, even though the Scriptures call them blameless in obeying God. Then something extraordinary happens. Zechariah encounters Gabriel in the temple. Gabriel announces that God has heard his prayer and that Elizabeth will have a baby. And not just any baby; this baby will be the forerunner to the Messiah, turning the hearts of Israel to God and preparing them to meet their Lord. Now imagine if Gabriel had revealed this plan to them when they were in their twenties. What would they have done differently? They likely would have been more willing to accept decades of barrenness for the opportunity to bear the forerunner. Perhaps the sadness around each lost pregnancy would have lightened. Maybe they would have grounded their joy and gladness in the goodness of God rather than the hope of children. But the fact remains that the announcement Zechariah received in the temple didn’t change any of that. It only made them aware of it. This is the struggle we all face. We believe in the goodness of God, but we find it easy to question that goodness when we don’t see the full picture. And we never see the full picture. We all would rejoice in God’s goodness if we had His vantage point. Still, we have all the perspective we need to see in God’s Word. Whatever God is doing in the circumstances of our lives, He is doing to fulfill His good plan in us. God is good and does good and our circumstances are in good hands when He has them. So stop worrying about the details of your future. Rest in the goodness and faithfulness of God; then thank Him for all the good He must be doing even when you can’t see it. –Pastor Rory
Sunday at Liberty
9AM: Memorizing Revelation–Psalm 119
10AM: Pastor Rory–A God Who Hears–Luke 1:1-25 (sermon notes)
6PM: Evening Gathering–Missions Emphasis Night
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