An Appointment For Glory

These weekly devotionals I will be posting come from and are copyright to Pam Iannello, my pastor's late wife who went home to be with the Lord on June 18, 2008.

I'm going to start posting these twice a week instead of once a week. I'm going to try to get to them on Sundays and Wednesdays. I don't know about you but I can't wait a week to get to them. Let me know in a comment if you like this better or not.

I appologize for any difficulties in locating past devotionals. The devotional index is now fixed and will take you to the desired devotion.

If you've ever wrestled with God's plan for your life, this series is for you! Based on the book of Luke and the lives of Zacharias, Elisabeth, Mary & Joseph.



This devotion is part of the "The Wonder Of It All" series.

How can you strengthen your realization that God is in control of the events of your life? Let’s pursue the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth a bit more and see if they can enlighten us…

Luke 1:23
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

Zacharias returned home immediately after he had finished his duties in the temple, having taken about a week. How hard it must have been to wait for that day in light of all that had happened to him! What a blessing to know this man had a good home to return to, amen? Yes, Zacharias had a righteous wife waiting for him there, one who was faithful to the Lord and to her husband...

Ladies, there is something of a healing affect that takes place in a man's heart when he is free to come home and share with his wife all that happened to him, especially after having been through a very emotional time! Zacharias certainly had a great deal to share with Elisabeth, didn't he? I expect his wife could tell by the way her husband looked before he even got to the door that something out of the ordinary had happened to him! Are you sensitive to the times when your husband needs to talk, to share with you those ups and downs in his life, his failures and successes? Can you discern by his countenance that is what he needs most? Do you provide an atmosphere of acceptance and an attentive listening ear in order that he might be comfortable in pouring out his soul to you?

Proverbs 31:12
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

So much to say to his wife, but unable to talk for 9 months... Come to think of it, Zacharias' unbelief is actually speaking louder than his belief could at this point! In striking him dumb, God dealt justly with Zacharias because his priest had questioned God’s Word. Nevertheless, the Lord had also dealt kindly in showing mercy to this man and his wife by blessing them with a child and including them in on His plan for the coming Messiah... I can just imagine Zacharias bursting into the door of his home, scrambling for something to write with and write on. Elisabeth might have repeatedly been asking him, “What is it dear; tell me!” as Zacharias proceeded to scribble frantically what took place inside and outside his heart in the temple. Of course, he told his wife of the judgment he received for doubting God's Word…. Naturally he also shared the incredible news with her that they would soon be parents, blessed with a son that would pave the way of the Lord and be instrumental in the conversion of many souls! However it may have unfolded, it was a monumental moment to be sure!

Luke 1:24
And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months...

In verse 24 we find that what God said would happen, did happen! As always, His Word is true… God's people ought to give more credit to the Word of God than we do! In light of the surrounding circumstances of this story, I thought it interesting that scripture noted Elisabeth hid herself five months. Why would you hide such a miracle?? Why would you conceal an answer to prayer?? Why would you cover the evidence of God's mercy toward you?? Why would you keep secret the blessings of God in your life?? But you know what, ladies? We are guilty of that same behavior whenever we remain tight-lipped about the things of God, whether big or little! They are expected to be expressed! We suppress the Word and work of God when we veil the light of His glory and goodness in our lives.

2 Cor. 4:3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost...

Every time we hide the gospel we are guilty of not preaching Christ, and are in essence, guilty of preaching ourselves! Our glory can do no good to the soul of a lost person; it is God's glory they must see! What precious things of God have you been hiding from others, dear lady? Have you kept the gospel at home and not revealed the Lord to the outside world?? If so, you're just helping the devil out by keeping blind people from knowing the Lord as He is - ABLE TO SAVE AND SANCTIFY ANYONE! What evidence is there in your life that God is working to increase your faith in Him? Could it be you're in hiding because you are ashamed of your unbelief, afraid to talk about what the Lord has shown you about yourself in the process?? Don't hide even one ounce of the gospel of

Christ, let your life speak clearly of God's perfection instead of your own!

2 Cor. 4:4-5a
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord...

I picture Elisabeth as having been a woman who was extremely familiar with disappointment. The wife of a priest would be someone that people would expect God to bless with a child, for she was a devout woman of God. She had suffered this public shame of being childless for many years now. As a matter of fact, ALL of their married life together Zacharias and Elisabeth had known the strain of being without a family. Did their marriage suffer under the strain? I envision her hoping and praying each month that this would be the month of conception, only to be disappointed many times over, those months turning into years and adding up to be a lifetime of frustration and uncertainty.... Would it happen at all? Why hadn't it happened? Is it my fault? Is it my husband's fault? Is it God's fault? Doesn't God want me to be happy or us to be happy together? I'm sure that Elisabeth probably suffered some reproach at the mouths of certain pious people clucking their tongues over the fact that she was STILL childless.... Did she battle with bitterness over the course of time about this baffling plan that God had for their lives? A burden of misfortune is capable of causing the Christian's hands to hang down and his knees to grow feeble, to dishearten and discourage him. But ladies, against this we must strive, that we may better run our spiritual race! Beware if this is your tendency, for bitterness is a failing of the grace of God in your life. It appears that Elisabeth made it gracefully through her affliction - will you?

Hebrews 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled..

But now, the suffering was over! It had passed! Those years of waiting and wondering melted away in the light of their present joy. She had miraculously conceived! Praise God! Wait a minute, Praise God NOW and not before? We are guilty of this too, are we not, ladies? We praise God when things work out the way WE want but what about when His plan is different from ours?? What about when His timing is longer than what we desire?? Do we praise God then? Yes, doubt and unbelief silences even our praise of God. Did Elisabeth ever stop praising God over those years? That's a good question, but an even better one is - Have YOU ever stopped praising Him? If so, what stopped your praise? A truly yielded spirit shall praise God and CONTINUE to praise God, whether in the darkest of times or in the light!

Psalm 30:12
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Do you know what Elisabeth must have realized at this point in time? She understood that her disappointments were God's appointments - for HIS glory, not hers! Her frustrations now made sense to her in light of the answer to prayer that seemingly took so long to come. It was clear to this elderly woman that only in God's perfect timing do disappointments fit into His perfect plan and hold perfect meaning! I am sure that during those five months of hiding herself Elisabeth pondered this truth in her heart and increased in her thankfulness to God for the setbacks she was so familiar with. If you are hungry to do right, even the bitterest of circumstances are found to be satisfying!

Proverbs 27:7
The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

Have you come to the place in your Christian walk where you can thank God for your disappointments, even those that have been hanging on for years and haunting you? Have you ever thought to?? Have you understood them to be the hand of God in your life?? Elisabeth's eyes were opened to a new truth about her God! A truth that had been there all along - He was the God of impossibilities! Here she was, beyond the age when the birth of a child was possible, yet life was growing insider her womb. Now she knew first hand that with God nothing was impossible!! Now she understood that He had been there all along...

Has the fact that "with God nothing is impossible" taken root in your life, dear lady? Are you willing to give God your disappointments and let Him attach a purpose to them? Without giving the Lord your afflictions you will only become bitter in the flesh and doubtful of your God. He has designed every moment of our lives with absolute perfection! Those same disappointments that brought tears of despair now brought tears of joy and increased faith in Elisabeth! It appeared to be an odd plan God had carried out, yet what a wonderful work had been done in her heart as a result! Elisabeth now saw herself as a fortunate woman as she viewed her disappointment through the Lord's eyes. Previously, she had seen herself as being cursed, possibly even a failure, when looking at her affliction with her own eyes. What an invigorating affect this extraordinary plan had to have had on her relationship with the Lord! Ladies, we must cleave to our God and realize He is a friend, even when He seems against us as an enemy!

Job 13:15
Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him...

I think one of the many great things about eternity will be having all that time to sit down with the saints of old and converse with them about their lives and their walk with God! I want to sit down with Elisabeth and ask her about all the things that were going on with her inwardly and rejoice over and over again that our great God always knows what He is doing! We don't NEED to know - we simply need to trust His hand in all things, especially with those situations that loom over us like giant monsters. With what long-term frustration do you need to thank God for this week and entrust Him? Remember, the Lord specializes in impossibilities! They are appointments for His glory...

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003 Meet Ms. Pam

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New Beginnings Baptist Church Website