What will they say now?

'People used to say she was barren...' Luke 1:36 NLT

"I hadn't expected it. I guess I believed...but for it to happen. I mean...for most of my life it was something I had always wanted. Something I had always sought God about, but then when I reached a certain age I wasn't sure if it was ever going to happen. I was too old! How could I possibly mother a child? The dream of holding my own baby began to fade. Barren. That's what they used to say. Barren. Not known because of my character or how I served God...but for my inability to have children. But I didn't want pity, for I trusted God."

In Luke 1, Elizabeth, a woman who had been barren for many years, finds out she is going to give birth. Not only will she be giving birth, but it will be to a man who will be making the way for the Lord. Not only has her prayers been answered, but she is going to give birth to someone who has a great calling on his life. God totally transformed her life - more than what she could ask or think. 

Elizabeth was once identified as being barren, but God changed all of that. We can walk through situations and people can form different opinions of our circumstances. Many may describe our situations as barren, but in that dry place what should we be doing? What are we believing?

I love that Zechariah means 'Yahweh remembers', do we? God remembers His promises and He is faithful to the end, but the question is, do we remember? Whilst waiting, even in her bareness, Elizabeth continued to serve God wholeheartedly. How many times do we lose hope and become miserable on our journey? When Mary is told she is going to give birth to Jesus, the Saviour of the world, she is also informed of Elizabeth's predicament. The angel tells Mary, 'People used to say she was barren...' Not no more! Why? 'Nothing is impossible with God' the angel says. If Mary has any question about what is going to happen in her life, God has directed her to her cousin Elizabeth who is about to give birth.

This challenges me on many different levels, but encourages me also. We need to remember the promises of God. Luke 1:45 (NLT) reads, 'You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said'. Do I believe? How much do I believe? Hebrews 11 outlines what many great people in the Bible did because they believed God. Not in their own ability, but because they believed God. It just takes us believing the words of God. Peter walked on water responding to Jesus saying 'Come'. We need to believe knowing that without faith we can not please God and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

We are not to live hopeless, mourning each day that passes. Though she be called barren, I can imagine Elizabeth joyfully serving God. Psalms 25:3 reads that those who hope in the Lord will not be put to shame. After Elizabeth is pregnant, she rejoices in God because He has taken away her shame. I love 1 Peter 1:8, where Peter writes we believe in Him and so we are filled with inexpressible joy! I may not see the results of what I want to see, but the belief alone fills me with inexpressible joy. 'I know in Whom I have believed'. If God says it, it will come to pass. 

People used to say you were barren. What will they say now?