DEVOTION
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING
TO LUKE
BEYOND THE NATURAL
Luke 1:21-25
21 Meanwhile, the people were
waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22
When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a
vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to
speak. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After
this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in
seclusion. 25 "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In
these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the
people."
NIV
Is this sort of a repeat of
Abraham and Sarah, two people in the later years of life having a baby? Was
Elizabeth over the age of being able to have a child naturally as Sarah was and
once again God demonstrates his power over the natural. God is certainly
showing his ability to overshadow us, causing Zechariah to now be able to speak
because of unbelief. If we can learn anything from this narrative is that God
can do what we would think is beyond our natural realm. At times, we might
think that our lives are dependent on our power, or abilities, so we put limits
on the power of God acting on our behalf, doing things in our lives that are
beyond human power and abilities. It is also interesting that although Elizabeth
was well along in years and becoming pregnant, she remained in seclusion for
five months. We would think because God did such a miracle in her life, she
would want to tell everyone she knew. However, on the other hand, would anyone
believe she became with child by the power of God, although John was still conceived
through the natural human course. Elizebeth was barren but that did not mean
she was a virgin, as Mary her cousin was. However, the main truth we should be
careful to remember is that God can do whatever he desires in our lives to accomplish
his purpose. When we call Jesus our Lord and Savior, it means that we have
declared God to be our Lord, our Master, our Sovereign, who is in charge of us.
That includes doing supernatural things in and through us. But we need to
release his power within us, looking past the natural order that we are limited
to in our flesh. This would include every aspect of our lives, however, the
one area in which we are the weakest would show how God is the strongest when he
works through the power of the Spirit within us. Zechariah thought it would be
beyond the natural realm for him and his wife to have a child, but it was not
anywhere near beyond the power of God. This is how we need to face life, always
expecting the power of God to work in and through us beyond our natural
abilities, we will have life and life abundantly, living in and for the kingdom
of God.
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