What a joy!

Good morning! My name is Charlotte and I am writing to help us give our first thoughts to the Lord.

Luke 1 beginning with verse 18 says this:

And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto you, and to show you these glad tidings.

And, behold, you shall be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because you believe not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Remember, Zacharias, was a righteous man. He did everything he was supposed to do under the law. In this scripture we find him just questioning......how can this be since my wife and I are old people? And what happened? he was struck dumb until John was born.

Have you ever questioned God? Have you ever robbed God? Have you ever lied to God? Have you ever made a promise to God that you failed to keep? This scripture shows us how important it is to not question God and to trust Him when He speaks. He speaks volumes in his Word. Our generation has lost the fear of God. We even wear it on t-shirts - NO FEAR!

Verse 21 goes on to say this: And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

In verse 10 we read that the people were praying at the time Zacharias was in the temple. In this verse they had stopped praying and were waiting for him to come out. Remember, if there was sin in the priest's life, God would strike him dead. So, the people were waiting not only to see what was happening, but to be blessed by the priest.

Verse 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

Even after these good tidings were delived to Zacharias, he continued ministering in the temple. My first instinct would be to run tell Elisabeth what had happened. He was a dedicated servant of the Lord.

This was a good thing. In verse 14 the angel said and you shall have joy and gladness

The angel was bringing good news.

I was 39 when I got pregnant with Matthew. It was good news even though I was older than I had been with my other children. It is different having babies when you are older. The being pregnant is harder on your body but is more joyful - the baby is more of a miracle - maybe because you are older. I had wanted a baby for a long time but did not think I could have any more children and was very surprised to find that I was going to have a baby.

Can you imagine the joy that filled Zacharias and Elisabeth's hearts that they were going to have their own baby - even at their old age. To think that God had heard their prayer and was answering and this child was a special child from God for a special purpose. What a joy!

I saw part of a movie the other day, and in this part that I saw, it was about Zacharias and Elisabeth and how Zacharias couldn't speak and how John was born and everyone was so happy. They questioned what to call the baby and Zacharias spoke and said 'His name shall be John.'

What a joy! What a blessing! What good news the angel brought that day to Zacharias!

Thank you, Lord, for good news. Thank you for giving good things to us. Open our eyes today to see the blessings that you have poured upon us and that we do not see. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen ( it is done ).

Have a blessed day today!

Charlotte