[Yesterday at Cross Point, Justin Davis delivered a very moving and powerful message about the parable of the mustard seed, the yeast and God's timing that strongly echoed the theme of a piece I wrote over 5 years ago, which I want to share with you here today. I don't know exactly what God is saying right now, but it sounds something like, "I know what it looks like, but I'm not finished." Be encouraged.]
I watched the sun come up this past Saturday morning. Somewhere around 3:30 or 4 a.m., I picked up the book I had been reading, Fresh Faith by Jim Cymbala, and began reading at the top of chapter 7, “Faith Runs on a Different Clock.” I got four pages into this chapter and was really struck by the way that Pastor Cymbala told the story of the birth of John, as told in Luke 1. Basically, he was bringing the reader to focus on the truth that many times God works on a much different time table than we do and that our challenge as people of faith is to not throw away our confidence in the meantime, bearing in mind that it will be richly rewarded (Hebrews 10:35).
One particular line that stuck with me was:
“Many of our struggles about faith have to do with timing. We believe, at least in theory, that God will keep His promises—but when?”
He approached the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist in such a unique way that I soon found myself reaching for my Bible to read this account more indepth for myself. After reading the account detailed in Luke 1:1-23, I was immediately struck by several things.
First, in verse 6 we are told, “Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.” So, we would assume that surely God honored their faithfulness by blessing them with a full and fruitful life. However, verse 7 says,
“They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old.”
For many generations, it had been prophesied that the messiah would be born of a woman, so every woman in the lineage of David had a hope and an expectation that her baby just might be “the one.” Being barren in those days meant that you were disqualified from even being a candidate. Barrenness carried with it disgrace, reproach and a deep sense of rejection and exclusion. So, before we go any further, when you put verses 6 and 7 side by side, you can’t help but see that in spite of the disappointment and disgrace that this couple experienced (Luke 1:25), they were still faithful, obedient and righteous in the eyes of the Lord. That’s saying a lot right there.
It’s not just that they were disappointed in general, but verse 7 tells us that “now they were both very old,” so they had been disappointed for a long time. We aren’t told exactly how old they were, but I believe the fact that the Bible makes it a point to say that they were “very old” is significant. In fact, it is likely that they had grown so accustomed to their situation that they figured that it wasn’t going to change. But verse 8 says,
“One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple …”
Isn’t that something?
Disgraced but faithful
Disappointed but not distracted
Unfulfilled but undaunted
While Zechariah was serving on this day, “an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar” (v. 11). “The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! You are to name him John’” (v. 13). This is incredible to me, especially in the context of what we read in verses 6-8, seeing that Zechariah was faithful to serve, with an unrealized hope and unfulfilled dream tucked away in his heart. He may have even forgotten about his prayer, but God didn’t.
When you look at the scope of the series of events that preceded and eventually led to the birth of Jesus Himself, we see that the delay in the answer to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayer was not really even about them at all. It was all about God’s timing. It couldn’t have happened any earlier. It had to happen how it did and when it did, in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled and John to be the forerunner to Christ Himself (v. 17). The story is encouraging and redemptive on its own, but still pales in comparison to the small part it played in the larger story of the birth of Jesus and how the world would never be the same as a result.
Reading this story, I was forced to ask myself the hard question: “Can I still serve, be faithful and trust God even when I don’t get what I think I should have when I think I should have it?” Even harder, “Am I willing to accept the possibility that the time I am spending in wait might not even be about me?”
We are so spoiled today. When we don’t get the job, the car, the promotion, the house, the spouse or even the pair of shoes that we want, we have the audacity to lose hope and let our confidence that God is working on our behalf. This selfishness is magnified even more when we look at the time lines, unrealistic expectations and demands we put on our faith. When thinking of the things that we give value to and the relatively short time restraints we put on God “coming through” for us, we can quickly see how our attitude and impatience paint a vivid picture of a shallow faith that is often built around our entitlement and on having what we want when we want it.
How long have you been waiting?
Zechariah and Elizabeth waited a really long time, but they were still faithful and trusted in the Lord. I pray that I can develop that same kind of focus and tenacity to remain faithful, hopeful and trusting even in the face of an unrealized hope or desire.
God has not forgotten you, but faith runs on a different clock. Don’t lose heart, but in between the asking and the fulfillment, keep serving. Stay faithful. Be obedient. Unplug your clock and trust in the perfect timing of the Lord. Back up from your situation and begin to ask God for a view of the bigger picture and how the hope in your heart today fits into the greater story that will play out tomorrow.
