Day 3 : THE PROMISE Luke 1:12-17

Your prayers have been answered, and not only that, your son will be the frontrunner for the promised Messiah. 

It was not just an answer to prayer, it was the fulfillment of the promise. 

A few years ago, my family and I endured a litany of trauma and tragedy: job loss, sudden deaths, sickness, that all weighed heavily on our souls. One of the things about this time was that it was prolonged, it didn’t all hit at once, yet every few months, the next wave would hit, lasting for almost three years. 

As you go through things like that, you ask many questions. You cry out to God and sometimes, many times, there is silence. You cling to the promises you have heard, that you have read in Scripture. Yet although you cling to the anchor, you are still battered by the storm. 

Last year, I heard the melody of God once again; notes breaking the long silence of my soul. Yet instead of jumping up to rejoice, I instead prepared myself for another hit. The question was no longer could I trust God in the midst of the hard times, it had morphed into did I believe that God would ever bless us with good things. I knew and would pray that He does for other people, yet for us, it was now an unfamiliar part of our song. 

Many times we are unknowingly conditioned to flinch in the presence of God. We may love Him and even serve him faithfully, but there is still the catch in our spirits saying this promise is for others and not for me. This song will be sung by someone else. 

I wonder if one of the reasons why Zacharias flinches is because he expects another hit. 

He would still trust God.

He still believes.

He just doesn’t believe the promise would be true for him. 

The angel addresses his fear, invites him to peace with a personal invitation citing the many prayers of both him and his wife. The angel even instructs them as to what God will do through this child, how this child we be the voice that breaks the silence and points people to the promised Messiah.

REFLECTION : 

Morning Pause: At the start of this new day, as you are faced with the promises of God being fulfilled, what is your reaction? Why? 

Afternoon Pause: Halfway through this day, are there any barriers to you believing the promises of God for you, your family and community? Surrender those to God and ask him to meet you in them. 

Evening Pause: I lay my head down in sleep, for the Lord sustains me…. How has the Lord sustained you this day? What were the times, where were the places that you experienced Him?