Breaking the Silence

Luke 1:5-7
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
 How do we deal with silence? I believe it is in times when it seems that God is silent that we experience great growth as believers. We must trust and patiently wait for God to show up. We have to trust Him enough not to act under our own power and understanding. Sometimes we try to influence and even force God's hand to work when He just wants us to wait patiently. God is always the initiator of the work! We can not force or create revival. God must bring revival. We can not force or create salvation God must bring salvation. We can not force or create peace. God must bring peace. Our part is to seek and pray. Abraham tried to intervene and force God's promise for a son. You know, he just wanted to help God along.... Like the Creator of the universe needs help creating! That's what we tend to think! However in a way it is natural for us to want to force things along because we have a creative nature. We have an embedded desire to make things happen. God placed that in us. We just have to learn to control that desire and place into submission under His leading. That is why I love the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. They were faithful servants of the Lord. He was a priest in Israel under the oppression of Roman law. God had not revealed Himself through any one in four hundred years. That's the time frame between the old and the new testaments of the bible. He was silent! He was still working, He was still in control, He was still on His throne, He was still God yet He was silent. It is in the silence that our God will find those who will faithfully serve Him and when God breaks the silence He will use those who faithfully serve Him! Zacharias and Elisabeth became instruments of God's breaking the silence in a BIG BIG WAY! They became the parents of John the Baptist. The forerunner of Jesus. After four hundred years of saying nothing God would send word through His messenger. To preach repentance to His people! Malachi 3:1 says,"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,"Says the LORD of hosts." This prophesy was written four hundred years earlier and was fulfilled through Zacharias and Elisabeth. The news came by way of the Angel Gabriel as he announced in Luke 1:13-14,"Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Wow to hear those words, "your prayer has been heard." The silence is over God is at work! He is breaking the silence! Salvation is coming, Deliverance is coming, Revival is coming, peace is coming! Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid in the silence! Stay faithful, stay hopeful and keep your heart open. God always breaks the silence with life changing, world changing purposes. Are you ready? I hope so. May God use us to change the world!