If God were writing a play and He was going to cast us in a role, what would that look like? That question haunted me for a couple years. I knew I wasn’t fulfilling what He called me to do and I had no clue what it was, honestly! I went to the Word for answers because I was fresh out of them. After trying too hard to do all the right things, so my situation would change, I realized we cannot earn the life we want from God by being good. All of God’s plans for us are HIS to bestow and ours to welcome. It as if He has written a play and we are the characters. It is our job, and extreme honor, to be the best Tina, Jennifer, Evan Phyllis, Lori or Zach He has called us to be.
And He has called us, all of us, to play a part in His kingdom. Because it is the Christmas Season, let’s consider the Christmas Story as told by Luke. God had a plan that included characters of all types in His plan to redeem mankind. If He had chosen us in that plan, what part would He have assigned to us? What character do we most relate to? This is for the purpose of realizing who God made us to be and if we are playing the part that He made for us. It is about answering His call to be used in His plan.
Are you like Zacharias? Luke describes him as a priest from the division of Abijah ( a division established by King David in 1 Chronicles, 24, as to when priests would take their turns to serve in the temple.) He is married to Elizabeth. They are both old and righteous, but childless. In verse 35 of the first chapter of Luke, the Angel Gabriel came to Zacharias as he was by the altar and told him his wife would bear a son. Zacharias was “gripped with fear.”
But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zacharias; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth. Luke 1:13-14 NIV
Now, he was not only afraid, but he was also doubtful. Zechariah questioned the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (Luke 1:18)
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time. Luke 1: 19-20 NIV
Casting call: A righteous man who loves the Lord and has served God faithfully into his old age. A man who is married to a righteous woman, who has not received what she thought God would give her. This man will be addressed by an angel, a messenger of God, as to what his future looks like. He is a doubtful, questioning man at times, but He always obeys the Lord.
Do you see yourself in Zacharias? I do, a bit, but I have not served in the church my whole life. I have BEEN in church but not served as faithfully in the church as God would have me do, I admit it. As I just read this to my husband, John, my editor,lol, he told me this:
We can relate to Zacharias because we did not have the life we wanted from God. We both had difficult first marriages that left us drained. That’s not what we thought God would give us. God brought us together at age 50, for His purposes. We doubted God’s goodness for a second, but He gave us a fresh new start at our old age!
Tomorrow we will talk about another character! If you want a sneak peek, read Luke chapter one!
Love and prayers to all of you!
Tina
Glory in the Morning 