October 23 - Luke 1: Do You Expect Me to Believe This?

Two very different responses to God's promises. One full of skepticism and the other full of faith.

Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." (1:18) 

Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man...Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say." (1:34, 38)

Oddly enough, Zachariah's response seems like the "normal" one. He and his wife are old; they waited and prayed for a child for years. And now after all these years, God is going to give them one? It sounds ridiculous and far too good to be true. To me, Mary seems like the nutty one to just believe the impossible.

These responses are on my mind because we got some disheartening news on the adoption this week. Not only have we not been matched with a child yet, we got confirmation that our dossier hasn't even been sent to the orphanage. The nuns aren't looking for a child for us because they don't know we exist!

Sigh.

Our deadline is 2.5 months away, and this isn't the news I was hoping for. Once again, I've had to check my heart and wrestle with God's timetable and my expectations.

Do I believe God can do the impossible? If He can cause a virgin to have a baby, if He can give a baby to a barren old woman, do I believe that He can accomplish His will in our case? Of course, I do.

Nothing, you see, is impossible with God. (1:37) 

It's hard to wait on His timing when I long for this child right now, knowing it's a godly and God-given desire in my heart. But I'm confident God is in this, and with each delay and every bit of uncertainty, God is testing me, asking, "Will you trust me? Will you believe me?" He wants to know what's in my heart and whether I'll continue to obey Him no matter what. (Deuteronomy 8:2)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)

I'm praying that God will continue to grow me so that I will respond like Mary, full of faith, no matter what happens.

 Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true! (1:45)