Women Like Us-Elizabeth

I wonder how many of you have been in, what you would consider an impossible situation. Maybe you’re even in an impossible situation right now. You have prayed about it — cried, called to God for help, but yet there is still no end in sight. No relief on the horizon that you can see.

You may feel as if difficult circumstances will overtake you; relationship troubles, maybe difficulty with a spouse, or a strained relationship with a friend, health issues, maybe you have received a life changing diagnosis.

If you are anything like me, you have been in what you would consider to be an impossible situation, at least once. I am thinking back to one of those times.

After sixteen years working in a highly successful career in Operations/IT Management, the company I worked for was acquired. By that time, I had scaled back to working part time so I could spend more time with my young girls. Unfortunately, this was not an option with the new company. After a great deal of prayer, my husband and I decided I would shift into a stay-at-home mom role for a season.

This was an exciting change, but also quite an adjustment. I remember in the early days, I would make spreadsheets for just about anything; budgets with cash flow worksheets, probably more than was actually necessary. It took a while to adjust to this new pace and to new priorities. I remember, one of the first things I wanted to do was get involved in Women’s Bible Study.

So now, with a newfound freedom in my schedule, I signed up for my first Bible Study with First Christian Church. A study on the book of Jonah, written by Priscilla Shier. Life changing, not only did I find a greater connection and intimacy with God, I found a home here with the women of FCC.

Later, with some encouragement I started leading a group. Just as I was finally starting to feel comfortable with this, I prayed a prayer that would change my life.

It was the first week of the sermon-aligned series our church went through on The Story, which is an abridged version of the main stories of the bible. I am sure many of you were also part of that study. I was doing this off campus, in what was then called a life group, now it would be a community group. Most of our bible study ladies decided to do both studies that were being offered. The Story, and Me, Myself and Lies, a Jennifer Rothchild study with the tag line of redecorating your thought closet.

One of the homework questions that first week read something like this — is there any area that you are currently holding back, not fully surrendering to God. I didn’t think so, but I thought I should take it to God in prayer just in case. When I prayed, the thought of teaching bible study came to mind. I know that this was not my thought. It did Not sound like something I wanted to do — no thank you!

But during that time of prayer, I said yes to God about this. If this was something, He wanted me to do, then I would do it.

That same week on the first day of the Me, Myself and Lies bible study, Jeanne Zenk, pulled me aside and asked me, you’ll never guess what. Would I facilitate this bible study with her? I said yes, all the while being irritated because I had already said yes to God. How could my answer be any different now? Once again, I would be moved out of my comfort zone as I took this leap of faith.

As I stepped out in faith, God provided. I remember the very next week, the first time I spoke for bible study, the Holy Spirit was with me in such an amazing way! It was like nothing I had ever experienced before!

What started out as irritation, in being called into this new role, turned into joy and a love for sharing God’s word. God had started to work on my heart and change my desires to what He would have for me in this new season.

It had always been my plan, that when the girls were older, I would go back to college to get an MBA, which made sense as my bachelor’s degree is in Business Administration. Of course, this was my plan, but it would not turn out to be the plan God had for me.

He had planted the seed of a new plan in my heart, to pursue a master’s degree in ministry. This was the start of what would turn out to be an impossible situation. You see as my heart was changing, and God was lining up the desires of my heart to His will, the hearts of others in my family remained unchanged. I was still in their minds, a businesswoman on a break, for a season. Still in pursuit of what would be considered success, in the worldly sense.

When I shared the dream, God had placed on my heart with those closest to me in my family, I was met with serious opposition. My husband could not understand why I would want to spend so much money pursuing a degree that would most certainly put me in an occupation, or vocation, that would be in a whole different category financially. Not going in the right direction, especially with major expenses coming up on the fairly near horizon. Our kids were getting older, cars, college educations, and weddings were on his mind.

What my husband was thinking made sense, it was completely logical. But sometimes, what Jesus calls us to does make sense from a worldly point of view. He was asking me to drop my net and follow him. To place at His feet, my dreams and plans and move in a completely new direction.

When I shared this dream with my mom one day over lunch — she cried. At first, I thought these were tears of joy. Sadly, she was crying because she thought this meant I would never be successful again, meaning financially successful.

Please don’t misunderstand this, both my husband and mom love the Lord, this was just difficult news for them. They did not have the benefit of heart change about this. I know there were many days when I felt the same worries and frustrations. It had taken a good amount of time for the Lord to change my heart.

Looking back, that year was filled with many prayers and tears. I felt like I had heard God clearly. I did not understand why God had changed my heart and yet my husband still would not give his blessing for me to pursue this new direction. All this time, I felt the impression of the Spirit that I was to wait for my husband to come along side this dream. I continued to pray and wait for his yes to proceed. Each time I approached him with this subject, the answer remained the same. No. This was feeling more and more like a closed door.

A bit of light came through when I discovered that FCC had partnered with Hope International University in a program called SALT (School of Advanced Leadership Training), to offer master’s level classes at a fraction of the regular price. Through this program, I would be able to take the first four classes at an amazingly low price! Wow! This seemed like such an answer to prayer. HIU was one of my top school choices! Sadly, when I brought this up to my husband, I still received a discouraging no, more prayers and tears as I submitted this to God once more.

At some point, I remember having the impression that if I went back to work part-time the idea of me going back to school to get a master’s in ministry might make more sense to my husband. It was the last year I had committed to lead my youngest daughters’ girl scout troop. On the last day of the very last event, FCC posted a job opening for a Bookstore Manager part-time. Within twenty-four hours I had at least three different people bring this to my attention. I interviewed for the position and soon after was hired on at FCC.

During this time, the company my husband worked for in Public Relations had come into serious cash flow issues. What started as week late paychecks, went into checks received five weeks late. Things were not looking promising.

One week after I started working for FCC, my husband showed up to his work only to see a “For Sale” sign in front of the building.

So, at this point my husband was without a job. I was working part-time for the church, and the deadline to sign up for SALT courses was just days away. I was in what felt like an impossible situation.

Elizabeth, the woman we are studying this week, found herself in an impossible situation. Although we are told that she was married to a priest named Zechariah, she was childless, and advanced in age. Not only is she barren, she is also past child-bearing years.

Infertility can bring so much pain and sorrow — this would have been compounded for Elizabeth as the time and culture she lived in placed such an emphasis on fertility. There was a great focus of the birth of sons to carry on the family line and to support parents in their old age. This was a time when the inability to produce descendants was not only an economic strain, but also had social implications. You see in Old Testament times, in Jewish, and Middle Eastern culture in general Barrenness was seen as a sign of reproach. Sometimes this was even seen as a judgement for sin. So many would have wrongfully assumed some kind of sin issue as the reason for her barrenness.

Luke clears this up for us when he introduces the couple. He tells us that “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” In writing this, Luke encourages the reader to recall another couple. Abraham who was considered righteous in the sight of the Lord and his wife Sarah had also struggled with infertility.

Even though Elizabeth lived with this great disappointment of infertility, she was considered righteous. She did not let a root of bitterness form in her heart. She continued loving God and others in the midst of her difficulties.

What a witness and encouragement this must have been to those in her life. They saw her remain steadfast in her faith, regardless of difficult circumstances. We too can be a source of encouragement to others. As they see us leaning into our relationship with God, continuing to trust Him in times of difficulty. We can bolster the faith of those who see us live our lives, loving God and others well regardless of our circumstances.

I wonder if during quiet moments, Elizabeth might have reflected on those who had gone before her and seen God’s faithfulness in similar circumstances. Possibly as a young wife, without children, she may have reflected on the life of Hannah who was barren and whose womb was opened by God to allow her to conceive. This may have brought her a renewed sense of hope and encouraged her to persist in prayer.

As the years passed, did she reflect on the life of Sarah who was barren and past child-bearing years when God opened her womb to conceive. Recalling times when we have seen God’s faithful work in our lives, and the lives of others, can be a great source of encouragement.

As I mentioned earlier, Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, was a priest. In addition to the three major festivals, he would have served two non-consecutive weeks each year; however, because there were so many priests, approximately 18,000, each priest might only have the opportunity to burn incense at the daily sacrifice once in his lifetime.

Starting in Luke 1:8 we are told, “Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go to the temple of the Lord and burn incense.” We know that this would have been a special occasion for Zechariah, an important time in his career as Priest.

Continuing on at verse 10 “And when the time for burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right-hand side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Wow! What an answer to prayer for Zechariah and his wife. With this promised son, not only do we see God act on behalf of Elizabeth and Zechariah, but also, we see God’s action in his plan of salvation for all. As their promised son, John would be the forerunner for Christ. He would pave the way for the coming of the promised Messiah, who would bring salvation to all who would believe in Him.

Now normally this process of burning incense in the temple was quite fast, once this was completed the priest would come right out. We are told that the people outside wondered why he stayed so long in the temple.

When he came out and could not speak but was making signs to the people they realized he must have seen a vision. I can only imagine both his joy and frustration as now he has this great promise but is unable to speak.

After his time of service had been completed, he went home and then his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and we are told that she remained in seclusion for five months, which was customary for the time. Elizabeth responds to this miracle with praise to God.

She exclaimed “The Lord has done this for me”. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

What an appropriate response we see here from Elizabeth. She has seen God act with compassion on her behalf and does not forget to give Him the glory for this miraculous pregnancy. Sometimes when we have a delayed answer to prayer we are more clearly able to see the work of God and more likely to give him the glory that He deserves.

When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, her relative Mary, who was a virgin and betrothed to a man named Joseph had a visit from the angel Gabriel. He told her that she had found favor with God. She would conceive and give birth to a son who would be called Jesus. When she questioned how this would be possible since she was a virgin, the angel told her that the Holy Spirit would come on her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her and so the holy one to be born would be the Son of God.

Then he shared with her that now Elizabeth, her relative, in her old age has also conceived a son, and this will be the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. I love how the NRSV translation words the next passage. “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

What a beautiful way to encourage Mary here, the promise she had just received was impossible in human terms. But God had already done the impossible with her relative Elizabeth who was barren and has now conceived a son. The angel is encouraging her to trust that what is not possible with man is possible with God. For nothing is impossible with God!

Let’s just sit with that truth for a moment. “Nothing is impossible with God.” If you are facing something impossible, even now you may be in the perfect position to see God do the impossible!

Let’s do something fun — take a moment to encourage one another with this truth!

Would you please turn to the woman to your right and remind her of this beautiful truth, all together now — “Nothing is impossible with God”! That is so true!

After Gabriel shared with Mary about Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Mary responds by surrendering to God’s plan. “Here am I the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Right away we are told that Mary set out on the journey to Elizabeth’s house.

When she arrived, she greeted Elizabeth and upon hearing the greeting the child in her womb leaped. Remember, we were told earlier that her son, John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born.

Then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, confirms what the angel had spoken to Mary and acknowledges Jesus as Lord.

After this, Mary sends great praise to God in what is called Mary’s Magnificent.

Elizabeth and Mary will both have Sons who will take part in God’s redemptive plan to restore the relationship between God and humankind. This treasured bond that they shared must have been an encouragement to them both as they enjoyed time together during Mary’s three month stay.

Something that jumps out to me, each time I read this passage about Elizabeth being filled with the Holy Spirit and then speaking words of confirmation and encouragement to Mary, is that now as believers in Jesus we have the Holy Spirit with us all the time. The power and presence of God in us, with us. One of the roles of the Spirit is encourager. Knowing this, how much more of an encouragement should we be to one another.

Back in the time before Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, ascension to the right hand of God and later pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would only be given to specific people, for a time for a specific purpose. Today, as believers in Christ we have the Holy Spirit all the time!

So, let’s slow down a bit, and allow moments of silence in our days to tune in and listen to the nudging of the Holy Spirit, who is our encourager, and helps us to be an encouragement to others.

Let’s get back to the story of Elizabeth.

Elizabeth gave birth to a son, just as was foretold by the angel Gabriel. We are told that her neighbors and relatives heard of the Lord’s great mercy on Elizabeth and shared in her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah. But Elizabeth spoke up and said, “No He is to be called John”. They questioned this, as it was the custom to name the child after someone in the family. Then, after making signs to his father to find out what he would like to name the child. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote; his name is John.

As soon as Zechariah confirmed that the baby would be named John, he was able to speak and was filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesied, that a savior was coming and that his son John would be the one to prepare the way.

With the birth of this baby, John, who would later be called John the Baptist, God answered the prayers of not only of Elizabeth and Zechariah but so many more. John would pave the way for Christ, the promised Messiah.

Now we will go back to my story, as I would love to show you God’s work in my life that it might be a source of encouragement to you!

Back to my impossible situation. It was just days away from the registration deadline for SALT classes and my husband was now, without a job and I was working part-time at the church. After praying and surrendering this to God one more time, I went to my husband and he would not even talk about this, it was still a resounding no.

It is now the night before the deadline, and I am in fervent prayer. God give me wisdom, discernment, please soften my husband’s heart about this. Later that night, I was checking my emails when I clicked on to a devotion. It was about communication between extraverts and introverts, and how to bridge the gap when the two need to communicate. I devoured this! I read it over and over again; this spoke directly into my specific situation. You see I am an extrovert, my husband is an introvert and at times we communicated in very different ways. One thing in specific that I noted was that introverts sometimes prefer written communication, including email, as it gives them a chance to process before responding.

Wow was that a gift! I was back in prayer again, then I poured out my heart in an email asking one more time.

The next morning, on the last day of registration for SALT classes, I got a emailed response from my husband. These three simple, powerful words. Go for it! What had been a red light for so long had turned green, I was ready to go! Do you ever think I sent up some serious praise to Jesus on that day! Amen!

One of the greatest gifts I received in this delayed answer to prayer was an increased surrender and dependence on God. The ability to more fully trust in Him and His perfect timing.

Now, three years later, I just finished all of the coursework for the Master’s in Ministry in June and my capstone portfolio was approved in July. What was first a dream, is now a degree.

Along the way there were so many other moments of encouragement from God through others.

I could share about this all day, but I will just highlight a few.

Shortly after I had shared about God planting the dream of going back to college for a Master’s in Ministry, I showed up to bible study, apparently a bit more dressed up than normal. Maybe I had washed my hair that day and took a bit of time with it. Susan Meglin came up to me and said, “You look very nice today, you look like you are going off to college”. I had only shared this with my family so far, so I was a bit taken aback, but encouraged none the less.

A couple of days later, I was waiting to pick up my daughter from school and ran into a friend. This was someone I had prayed with just a few times but still felt very close to. She was on the phone and when she hung up, she said “so sorry that was an old friend from seminary”. Seminary, I had no idea, and after talking with her a bit more I found out she been a children’s pastor. She would turn out to be such a great source of encouragement on this journey.

Another day when I was having some doubts, thinking this is so crazy, I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, what business do I have getting a degree in Ministry? I was supposed to go back and get an MBA. That night I picked up my daughter from youth group. I had never been the one to pick her up, I was always the drop off mom in the carpool. Not that night. While I was waiting, I ran into Heather Medina and she shared with me about an amazing class she was taking on Spiritual Disciplines in a master’s program she was in. I felt the nudging of the Spirit to ask what her bachelor’s degree was in. You can probably guess what her response was. Business Administration. I felt that God was giving me a direct response to my doubt from earlier that morning. I would later take that same class and it was one of the most life changing classes I would take.

One time my husband encouraged me on accident. While cleaning something he found this picture of me on the day of my graduation for my bachelor’s degree and put it on a frame in our bedroom. Of course, I thought this meant he had changed his mind. That had not yet happened, but the picture remained there as a source of encouragement, nonetheless.

Right away my mom came around and became not only a constant source of encouragement, but also real financial provision. She initially offered to pay for the first five thousand dollars of the degree, then later decided to pay for it all. What an amazing, life changing gift! God used my mom as a source of encouragement just like God used Elizabeth to encourage Mary.

When I needed Logos bible study software for a class, I received it as a Christmas gift.

Later, just before my last year when I would learn the biblical languages Hebrew and Greek, another gift of a much higher level of the software which included the biblical language tools I would need was given to me by someone I had met through the bookstore. He loved to come in and talk about Jesus and the bible. When I asked him why he had given me such a generous gift, he said he was convicted by the Spirit to do so.

Along the way, so many more words of encouragement were spoken to my heart at just the right moments to keep me on God’s path. Thank you to all of you who encouraged me in this way.

Not only were words of encouragement spoken to me, but they were also written in beautiful thank you cards and notes. I have a box where I keep those thank you notes and words of encouragement I have received over the years. They had a great impact on me and helped me move forward into each next step God asked me to take. Look at this box and know that you can do this. Write that note or letter to encourage one another.

When you feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit to encourage one another, do not hesitate. Let us encourage one another and build each other up!