In this second post for Luke 1, I want us to take a look at the songs of Mary and Zechariah.
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. (v. 38) Wow! Is that how you would respond if your world had just been turned upside down? I agree with another commentator who was amazed at Mary's understanding of her role in God's story. I work with teenagers, and I have two of my own. I'm afraid none of them would be able to sing the song of Mary.
Here is an example: Our family Bible reading this morning was I Timothy 1:12, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service." I asked my children if they knew what God had appointed them to do for Him. All I got was, "Huh??" Where was the, "my soul glorifies the Lord," or the, "my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"? It made me feel like a miserable failure. :-(
Actually, it just really makes me mindful of what an important job we have as parents. Our children do not naturally seek God on their own. Without our prayers and encouragement, they will follow selfish desires, not godly ones. They need constant reminding (maybe even nagging) that God has created them for fellowship. As Christians, they are God's chosen servants.
Zechariah's prayer for his newborn son is beautiful! He and Elizabeth had prayed for a child, and they knew without a doubt that he was a gift from heaven. Zechariah gave praise to the Lord because the angel promised him John would fulfill an important role as God's prophet. All papas are proud of their firstborn sons, and you can bet Zechariah was one proud papa!!! Zechariah had nine months of silence due to unbelief. I hope he spent that time praying for his child and researching the books of the prophets to discover all this child of promise would fulfill. This makes me mindful that we should continually pray for our children. We may not know what God has in store for them, but we can beg Him to make it glorious!
Here is your homework assignment (you like homework, right?). Since Mother's Day is next Sunday, will you write a song to the LORD thanking Him for your children? Perhaps as you write, God will even grant you a prophetic insight for your offspring. Above all, be sure to tell your children how much you love them and that you see them as a blessing from Jesus. They need to hear from you that God has created them for a special purpose.
Thank you, Dana, for this great reminder. I'm not always thankful for my children at times when they are mouthing off or rebelling. But even during those times, they are precious gifts from God. He entrusted them to me to raise them and teach them until He calls them home. Am I doing all that God has called me to do as a parent? I try, but there are times I fail miserably as a mother. It's in those times that I lean on God to provide what my children need. He knows best for them, better than myself. My heart breaks for parents who have lost children way too soon. I don't understand it, but we have to trust that it's part of God's plan. I recently recieved an email about a couple's first child being born with a rare chromosome disorder. Below is the link if you would also like to hear their story. It is truly amazing and wonderful to see how God used this child for a very brief time (99 days) to touch his parents and their love for God. It touched my heart too. Dana, I'm not sure how to post the you tube videos, so please post it if you want to. Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th6Njr-qkq0