Luke 1:8-11 The Message

It so happened that as Zechariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zechariah was paralyzed in fear.

 We have a standard joke around the Dunford house when it comes to Daddy’s keys. There have been times (many times) when I didn’t place my keys on the little designated hooks by the door and of course temporarily misplaced them. I then did the next thing and asked everybody in the house if they’ve seen my keys. The majority of the people in my house are all under 15 so they don’t have a clue where the missing keys might be. But since it is considered a common occurrence, their momma has trained them with the right response to my question. I say, “Has anyone seen my keys?” And they say, “They are probably with your wallet!” Isn’t that cruel? I do believe, contrary to the overall consensus of the clan, I am getting better!

Maybe you can relate to misplacing something and looking for it frantically. When do you normally find it? That’s right, when you quit looking for it! Out of the blue, it shows up. Take this angle on prayer and God’s plan for a moment. He knows our needs before we ever voice them, but most importantly, He knows His plan and where we fit in it. Often, when we lay our cares in His lap (I Peter 5:7), He gives us a little glimpse of what’s coming, but He knows if we see too much, we’ll get to messing with it. (And worrying about it!)

Hang on to His Word today as a source of confidence that He will make all things beautiful concerning you and yours. Think on Luke’s account of how He worked in the lives of Zechariah and Elisabeth. Nothing’s changed, especially God!

Suggested Biblical Meditation: Luke 1 and I Peter 5