Written by Jocelynn Goff, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
Waiting on God’s timing? His Perfect timing? Over and over again we are in seasons of waiting in our life. From the time we were little, we wait for the all-important events. Some that top the list are school to be out for the summer, a loose tooth to come out, Christmas, and our birthdays. Then as adults, we are still in the waiting game. It just seems as the stakes are bigger as we are waiting for a career after schooling, Mr. Right to come along, an Amazon order, the birth of a child, a health diagnosis, a promotion, a new apartment or home, a resolution to a relationship crisis, or all of the above, and sometimes all at the same time! The good, the bad, the long, the short all involve waiting and getting through the waiting. Many characters in the Bible have had their own seasons of waiting. Abraham, Noah, and Joseph are some of the first ones that come to mind. There are also women of the Bible that have this same life story. Elizabeth is one of these.
Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah and mother of John the Baptist, was in a lifelong season of waiting. What do we know about Elizabeth? The first thing we know is from Luke.
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. (Luke 1:5-7)
For many of you reading this, you know personally the long season of uncertainty, rollercoaster emotions, and often painful waiting for a child to bless your marriage and life. We imagine Elizabeth also felt the emptiness, the stares, the whisperings, and questioning of why not me? While I grieve with you in your waiting and do not want to ignore your commonness of this season in Elizabeth’s life, I want to focus our attention on Elizabeth’s life while she was waiting because there is so much more to her story. So, what are those life lessons Elizabeth can teach us while we’re in seasons of waiting?
The first lesson in her story is of Faithfulness in Obedience. As we see both Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were “upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations” (Luke 1:6). Whoa! This is even recognized by God as not-for-show but from their hearts. All of us can attest to the nobleness of this life and one we each strive for. Obedience can be easy if things are going well and the path is smooth. However, as we all know, we have moments of weariness in our waiting, which can lead to weakness in whose voice we listen to and obey. Another testimony of Elizabeth’s obedience was when it came time to name the baby. “But his mother spoke up and said, No! He is to be called John. They said to her, there is no one among your relative who has that name” (Luke 1:60). Elizabeth knew from her husband’s encounter in the temple with the angel Gabriel that the child’s name was to be John. “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John” (Luke 1:13). Elizabeth’s emphatic “No!” was a statement of obedience to comply exactly with what the angel had directed Zechariah and she was in agreement to help make that happen. She had to be the one to speak up since her husband had no voice until all had been fulfilled. She did her part in obedience.
The second life story lesson is Faithfulness in Old Age. The end of the passage in Luke 1:7 says, “and they were both well along in years.” These are people who have not retired from God in their older years. Like Simeon who was also old but lived in anticipation of seeing the “Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26b) and Anna an 84-year-old widow who “gave thanks to God and spoke of the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38) Elizabeth did not buy into the prosperity gospel that if we obey God then He will give us what we want. This could’ve distracted her in earlier years and yet her story is one of faithfulness all of her years.
Our third life story lesson is Faithfulness in Thanksgiving. When Elizabeth did become pregnant, her first words were, “The Lord has done this for me” (Luke 1:25a). Recognizing where our blessings come from and giving Him the praise and honor due Him is paramount in our Christian walk. Additionally, Elizabeth knew how to demonstrate a mature level of thankfulness as she practiced “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Rom. 12:15a). Even though Elizabeth had incredible, unbelievable news of her own, she did not hesitate to rejoice with Mary, the mother of Jesus.
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:41-45)
Not only did Elizabeth rejoice but she did it loudly. She couldn’t help but rejoice and be glad.
A key for all of us to understand is that another word for wait is hope.
“And we hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us.” (Rom. 5:2b-5)
It’s the power we receive from His Spirit to be able to continue to bring glory to Him while we are waiting. May we all reflect the life story lessons learned from Elizabeth while she was waiting. Even though she did not see the hand of God acting, she continued to trust the heart of God and stayed faithful in every season of her story.
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