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With the Christmas season fast approaching and lots added to our “to do” lists, I wanted to take a moment and help you reflect upon this season. We as women can get so wrapped up in the “doing” that we forget the “being” part of Christmas time. I wanted to write this devotional to help us identify with each of the nativity people. This will be presented in a 10 part series–each day signifying a different person. You can download it here for the complete devotional to use in your ladies group–includes all scripture NKJV. Or you can enjoy a new person each day through my blog. Be blessed as we go about remembering the reason for this season.
A great way to present this devotional is to use a nativity set and hold up each person as you are speaking about them. You may not have some of the people, and will have to improvise on some of them.
Day 1 Zachariah
Read : Scripture
Luke 1:5-22 New King James Version
The birth of Jesus begins with this man, Zachariah. Zachariah was a man who was old. He and his wife had no children and they prayed for one so that they would not be shamed in their community. It was a shameful thing not to be able to produce a son to be able to give all that you had worked for in life.
When he was visited by the angel, the angel reassured him to not be afraid, and that he would have a son who would be the forerunner to the Messiah. Can you believe it? After all of this time, he had been praying for years to have a son of any sort and now this angel is telling him that he was going to be having a child who was going to be the forerunner to the Messiah! But when he was told, he did not believe. Even though he had been praying for years for this, he doubted that it would ever happen.
Instead of rising to faith……he sinks to doubt!
From his lack of faith, he was unable to speak for nine months. Those nine months must have felt like an eternity. But during this quiet time of being able to listen to God and reflect upon what was told to him, his heart changed. From this he birthed out a new son(through his wife) and God filled him with the Holy Spirit. He then prophesied from the Word of God. From those moments of silence is when he was able to listen to God the best.
Isn’t it interesting that God begins the greatest event in all of the world with silence?
How Zachariah relates to us
We need not to be filled with unbelief that God can do anything.
Do we nurture an attitude of disbelief? If so, read Psalm 51—Davids prayer of repentance. Ask God to create a new heart, renew within you a steadfast spirit, and release the joy of salvation.
Don’t ever despise the quiet times in your life. Those quiet times are when God can birth something great from inside of you.
Are you like Zachariah and in need of a season of quietness this Christmas season? Do you need to seek the Lord more consistently through prayer and reading of God’s Word? Ask the Lord to show you more time in your day to be able to spend with Him.
