I John 5: 14-15

Friday January 15th- Elizabeth's prayer- Luke 1:5-80

12:00 PM

 

Friday January 15th- Elizabeth’s prayer-Luke 1: 5-80

This week we have been studying Elizabeth.  She and her husband, Zecharais were considered righteousness in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.  She trusted Him with all her heart and did not lean on her own understanding.  She acknowledged Him in all her ways and He made her paths straight.  Come with me as I share how I think she prayed over the years of her life.






Lord, You are the Almighty One.  The Creator of the heavens and the earth.  My soul has found rest in You God alone.  My hope comes from You.  You are my fortress, I will not be shaken.  On You Lord, my salvation rests.  You are my Rock of strength, my refuge is in You.  I trust in You at all times and I pour out my heart to You.  For many years Lord, Zecharais and I have prayed for a child and (we have learned to trust in You and to wait on You for we know that You hear and listen to whatever we ask of You and You have always answered) and now when it was impossible in the world’s eyes that I would not be able to conceive anymore, You did a miraculous thing and granted to us a son, whom You named John.  [John-God has been gracious! ] 

   




That day when Mary came to visit me, You filled me with the Holy Spirit and out of my mouth came, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb”, I knew that she was the mother of our Lord and the baby in me leaped for joy at the sound of her voice.   It was a joyous time spending a few months with Mary. 

I remember the day Zacharais came home from his priestly duties,  I could tell something was different, the moment he walked in the door.  He could not talk and as he was sharing with me what happened, my heart was rejoicing in knowing that we would have a son and that he had a special purpose, to be the forerunner of Jesus.  It was a quiet nine months but a time of worshiping You, Lord and waiting for the birth of John.

I can still remember Zacharais’ prayer the day John was born.  He was praising you right from the moment that he got his voice back.  He began praising You and prophesying that You had brought redemption and salvation to Your people.  A salvation from our enemies and to show mercy to His people, remembering His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father.  That John would be called a prophet of the Most High; for he will go before the Messiah to prepare His ways, to give His people the knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of their sins and to guide our feet into the way of peace and serenity. 

Lord, I thank You for giving to us exceedingly, abundantly beyond what we asked when we prayed for a child.  I rejoice in You, my Lord and my King!  The Holy One of Israel.  For there is nothing too difficult for You! Amen

 

How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord during difficult times or when prayer requests go unanswered  and you have been waiting for a very long time and now it seems impossible that it will be answered?

Remember nothing is impossible with God! Luke 1:37

What scriptures do you turn to?

I John 5:14-15-This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Persevere and rejoice my sisters in knowing that if we ask Him anything according to His will we have it. 

Post prayer requests as we get together every week to pray for you all!


Lisa Thayer

Elizabeth - Her life and Times

8:14 AM

 Tuesday, January 12, 2021


The life and times of Elizabeth - the mother of John the Baptist


Her name means “God is my oath”


Key Scripture




What we know is 400 years have passed since the last prophet spoke and the Israelites had heard from God.  The interlude in most of our bibles is scarcely noticeable; we simply turn the page and you leave the Old Testament to enter the New Testament.  Yet, you will notice that the world in which we are seeing here, 400 years later looks much different.  Rome (which lies in the West)  is now the dominant empire and the Eastern empires of Babylon, Assyria and Persia no longer dominate the Israelites.  


The Israelites are still continuing to pass on what they learned from their ancestors and they are people of God, not the culture for which they are residing in.  What we also notice is that the Israelites are constantly living under foreign rulers.  Under the Roman rulers, the Israelites are allowed to worship freely.  They long for more as they read the prophecies of the Old Testament and wait and watch for the Messiah.


In society like Israel at the time of Elizabeth’s life, a woman’s value was largely measured by her ability to bear children.  To be a person without children often led to hardship and public shame.  For Elizabeth, being childless and old, was a painful and lonely time - but she remained faithful to God.


Elizabeth is a descendant of Aaron.  The bible calls her “upright in the sight of God.”  She is praised for observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations without blame.  We see that Elizabeth showed no doubts about God’s ability to fulfil His promise and she became the mother to John the Baptist, whose name means, “The Lord is Gracious.”


Elizabeth is married to Zechariah, who is a Jewish priest, who was told before anyone else that God was setting into motion His own visit to earth.  Zechariah was also known for his holiness and had been granted, by lot, to perform the duties in the temple in Jerusalem.  Suddenly, to his surprise and terror, he found himself face to face with an angel.  This angel’s message is too good to be true.  But the news of the coming Savior was eclipsed by doubts about his own ability to father the child the angel promised him.  His age spoke more loudly than God’s promise.  As a result, God prevented Zechariah from speaking until the promise became a reality.  


As I read through the history of this chapter, the question I had to ask is; are our hearts turned toward God in faithfulness and trust?


Please come back tomorrow as we hear how Elizabeth’s legacy can be applied to our own lives.