In Israel today, you can still see the ruins of various structures that King Herod erected. Everything Herod built had sizable walls, because he thought everyone was out to get him. And he would put to death anyone he perceived as a threat.
Herod was a miserable tyrant during some very dark days in the history of Israel. Under the tyranny of Rome, he was a puppet governor who liked referring to himself as the king of the Jews.
The people had been crying out for God to send a deliverer, but they hadn’t heard any message from God. There hadn’t been any prophets, miracles, or angels. Instead, there was complete silence from Heaven for 400 years.
As a result, the people had grown disinterested in spiritual things and the promises of God. The once-vibrant spiritual life of Israel was becoming secular and cold.
We cannot help but draw a parallel to our own nation as we look at the United States today. We have drifted further and further from our spiritual roots and the values we once held dear. And now we are reaping the consequences of it.
The Bible says that when you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind (see Hosea 8:7). We have done everything we can to remove God from our courtrooms, our classrooms and our culture. And then we scratch our heads and wonder why things are going so horribly.
As for Israel, the sun was about to shine again. God was about to move in this great nation once more. Against the dark backdrop of this spiritually cold time, two gems shined: Zacharias, a priest, and his wife, Elizabeth.
Interestingly, the name Zacharias means “God remembers.” And God did remember.
Zacharias and Elizabeth had no children. And in those days, if you didn’t have children, people thought it was a curse of some kind.
But no such curse had come upon Zacharias and Elizabeth, because God had something in mind. In fact, God would make up for lost time by giving them John the Baptist as their son.
Zacharias, being a priest, had the opportunity to go into the temple. A lottery system was in place for this because there were so many priests. Perhaps once, maybe twice, in a priest’s lifetime, he would have the privilege of going into the temple to offer incense, representing the people of God.
Zacharias’s turn had come. But little did he know that he was about to meet the angel Gabriel. We only know three angels by name in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel and the fallen angel, Lucifer, who became Satan. We know that Michael is an archangel, which means that he is a high-ranking angel. Many assume that Gabriel is an archangel as well.
We also know this from Scripture: If Gabriel or Michael show up, something big is going down. Michael generally shows up to execute the judgment of God. An appearance from Gabriel, on the other hand, usually means that something significant is about to happen, because Gabriel announces it ahead of time.
So, it was no coincidence that Zacharias was in the temple at the exact moment when Gabriel appeared.
Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth” (Luke 1:13–14 NKJV).
Meanwhile, the people outside were wondering why Zacharias was taking so long. Where was he? Had something happened to him?
When Zacharias finally appeared, they knew something important had taken place because he wasn’t able to speak. The chain of events announcing the arrival of the Messiah had begun.
When God chooses to use someone, they are always amazed that he has chosen them. We see this pattern in Scripture. When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, Jeremiah thought he was too young. When God called Gideon to lead Israel, Gideon said, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15 NKJV).
And when Simon Peter encountered Jesus, he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8 NKJV). In other words, “Don’t waste your time on me.”
Isaiah said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV).
These people were saying, “God, you don’t want me. You have the wrong one.”
No, God had the right one, because the right one is someone who will be honestly amazed that God is choosing them in the first place. The wrong one, on the other hand, is someone who thinks they’re the best candidate for the job and are God’s gift to humanity.
Any person whom God would use will be amazed that God has even chosen them. And one thing is clear in Scripture: It seems as though God goes out of his way to find individuals who don’t necessarily look like they will amount to much. He chooses people who, at first glance, do not appear to have what it takes.
Throughout Scripture and the history of the Christian church, we find that God has done unexpected things through unexpected people. He has done extraordinary things through ordinary people.
The Bible says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV). As I have often said, God is not looking for ability as much as he is looking for availability.
Would you be the person who says, “Lord, I don’t have much to offer, but what I do have, I offer it to you”? If you’re willing to say that, then watch what God will do.
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