Unexpected opportunity for anticipation…

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.  Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.  They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old….  When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.  Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.  “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” Luke 1:5-7 and 23-25

Life is a series of surprises and would not be worth taking or keeping if it were not. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever doubted that something you really wanted would happen, only for it to become a possibility after all? Perhaps you hadn’t heard back from a job interview for some time, but then you get an offer out of the blue.  Or you were hoping to buy something special, but there was no money for it, then suddenly you receive a letter notifying you that you are to get a refund check back from a previous payment.  Maybe, for years, you and your spouse were hoping to have a baby, but pregnancy wasn’t occurring…then, unexpectedly, the home pregnancy kit was positive!

 During Biblical times, being childless brought significant anguish, as society viewed it as a shameful condition. When Zachariah tried to communicate with Elizabeth using hand gestures that they would soon have a child (the story behind these gestures is covered in another devotional), she likely questioned whether this could truly happen.  However, once it became evident that she was pregnant despite her age, their sense of anticipation must have been extraordinary. It was a surprising and joyful development that turned their lives into a time of great expectation.

Reflect back on your life.  Where have you seen a dismal situation unexpectedly turned around by God to give you sweet anticipation?