Faithfulness Amid Challenges (Luke 1:5-7)
In the midst of widespread evil and wickedness, God usually has godly men and women who remain faithful to Him. Herod the Great was the king in the opening of the story and he was a tyrant. The religious leaders were spiritually chained by tradition and corruption was not far from them. Within this environment, the story of Zachariah and Elizabeth evolved. The husband and wife were faithful to God in their service; both were from the priestly line. There was apparent godlessness around, still they obeyed the Lord. The Bible says they were righteous and they observed the Lord's commandment. As Priest, Zechariah was god-fearing and carried out his priestly duties with utmost dedication.
There was however a problem - they were childless. One begins to wonder why God would allow such a situation, especially as Zechariah was described as faithful before the Lord. We may ask questions and wonder. Truth is, we may not be able to explain why. In the midst of this situation, however, God had a better and greater plan for Zachariah and his wife –the plan of giving not just a child but a prophet and the herald of the coming King! In the midst of the challenges of childlessness, Zachariah remained faithful in his service to the Lord and the Lord did honour his faith and gave him a child and a special child at that.
Life comes with challenges and at times we may not necessarily be responsible for what we are going through and may not even have plausible explanations for it. Truth is, in the midst of that challenge, God is very aware (Heb. 4:15). There may be the temptation for our faith to wane when there seems to be no solution in sight. Zechariah remained righteous despite his situation and even in the face of the evil prevalent in his day.
When faced with a situation that looks like that of Zechariah or worse; can you remain true to God and trust him to help you? Like Zachariah, be faithful to the Lord and trust in his sovereignty to help you. Your faith as a Christian does not immunize you from the challenges of life. The way you respond will show your trust in God to help you through or whether you will break under the burden of the situation. Hope and trust are two keys that you need at such times.
The Lord prepared the family of Zechariah for something greater as he remained faithful. Today, the story of the birth of Jesus is not complete without mention of this righteous man and his wife who remained faithful even though it was a dark moment in the life of the nation of Israel – 400 years and no word from the Lord.
Reflection: As you reflect on the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth, how does their faith encourage you to live righteous in the midst of your challenges?