Jesus and ...: How God Works Through Ordinary PeopleSample

Partnering with Jesus to Find Hope for Your Family

How would you describe your family? Is it large or small, together or separated, broken or blended? Maybe you want it healed or perhaps you want it to fulfill its potential. Either way, like me, you have a desire for your family—some sort of a dream … a hope.

Tragically, we live in a fallen and complicated world. It’s filled with conflict, insecurity, and anxiety. Some couples are even frightened to have children because of this uncertain future. It’s very easy to lose hope for our family in these circumstances. Thankfully, God is a God of hope, and the Bible is filled with stories of hope. These stories have the power to change the course of our lives.

One of these is found in the first chapter of the book of Luke. Luke starts his gospel with an old priest and his childless wife. To begin the story of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, with the doubts and concerns of two of His servants, seems a very curious decision. Yet this strange introduction sets the scene for the gospel. Jesus Christ came to save ordinary people like Zechariah and Elizabeth—like you and me.

The narrative continues with the angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah while he is serving in the temple. The angel promises him that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son, who is to be named John. Zechariah, like many of us, failed to believe the promise of God. As a result, he was unable to speak until the promise was fulfilled. But when it came time to name the child, he made it clear to everyone present that the boy would be called John. As soon as he had done so, his mouth was opened, and he began to praise God.

What can we learn? God chose a man and woman who were very old and not able to conceive. They not only lived with the pain of childlessness but also with the possibility of poverty. They had no children to support them in their later years. But God saw their situation, answered their prayers, and blessed them with a child. In doing so, Zechariah and Elizabeth became essential partners in the divine plan of God.

God uses the most unlikely of people, and that He has good news for each one of us—if only we would believe it. And that good news extends to our whole family—if only we would accept it.

Question to Ponder: God had an amazing plan for Zechariah and his family. What has God promised you about your family?