The ways of God are not human ways, this is why we misunderstand God more often than we care to admit. We are so accustomed to humanity we do not really understand the ways of divinity. Reading Luke 1 this morning it wasn’t just words it was the story of someone’s life. As I listened to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, I was struck by their humanity and God’s divinity.

Zechariah and Elizabeth are both of priestly lineage, righteous, blameless, following God with their whole hearts, but she is barren and he is without an heir. Barrenness has nothing to do with whether we are righteous or not, God’s ways are not our ways. The enemy tries to tell us our barrenness is due to some sin in our life, some generational curse on our life, or some other issue we can’t seem to shake, but that is not what God says, barrenness will give way to birth, just wait and see.

Zechariah is doing his priestly duties in the temple and he is well along in years. All of the sudden while offering prayers, the angel Gabriel stands next to the altar and gives Zechariah an announcement that his wife is going to have a baby boy and that his prayers have been answered. What an announcement to a couple who has been barren for years, but the announcement was not enough, he wanted a sign. Gabriel says, okay your sign is silence until the appointed time of this child’s birth. But that’s not all, Elizabeth was sent into the seclusion for 5 months once she heard she was pregnant. Silence and seclusion do not sound like humanities way of celebrating such good news after such a long wait.

Many have been barren, but they have heard announcements from God. Now they are pregnant, but God has still kept them secluded and silent. This is confusing to humanity but it is the way of divinity. The appointed time is so close and many are going to rejoice over what God is birthing. Once the birth happens the sound will be restored and the manifestion will be seen. The days of silence and seclusion are ending! Oh my this is going to be a party for the ages as heaven and earth rejoice together.