How Great Is Our God / Chris Tomlin
How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God
And all will see how great, how great is our God
As my brain was slowly waking up, I spent some time rambling before the Lord concerning my day ahead of me and week to come, including thinking about preparations for colder weather. I recalled that I had purchased a warm winter coat last year and I bought some snow shoe-boots this year, and how I needed to get a winter scarf. Then, I prayed:
“Lord, awaken my mind to receive from you this morning what you have for me to learn from your word. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” I read Luke 1:1-38:
Introduction
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 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. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “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. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
My Understanding: For the first time ever, I think, I noticed that Luke was writing this to Theophilus. His name means “One who loves God.” The consensus appears to be that Theophilus was an individual person, a believer in Jesus Christ, a patron of Luke’s and possibly his publisher. The introduction in my Bible says that Luke wrote this account of the events of the life of Jesus Christ “to strengthen the faith of all believers and to answer the attacks of unbelievers.” “It was presented to displace disconnected and ill-founded reports about Jesus,” the introduction stated. In general, then, I think it is safe to say that this account of Jesus’ life in Luke is written to those “who love God,” i.e. to true believers in Jesus Christ, in order to strengthen our faith. Luke said it was good for him to write this “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”
Following Luke’s introduction are the accounts of an angel of the Lord visiting Zechariah and telling him that he and his wife were going to have a son in their old age, and of an angel of the Lord visiting Mary, a young virgin engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of King David, to tell her that she was going to give birth to a son whom she was to name Jesus. As I began to read the account of Zechariah’s visitation from the angel of the Lord, I could not help but see many parallels, yet differences in Zechariah’s experience versus the experience of Mary, so I began to record the similarities and differences of their encounters.
Zechariah was told that he was to name his son “John.” John means “YAHWEH is gracious.” Mary was told that she was to name her son “Jesus.” Jesus means, “YAHWEH is salvation.” Zechariah was told that his son was to be “great in the sight of the Lord,” and “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” Mary was told that her son “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” These were both to be very special children. Zechariah was also told that his son will bring back many people of Israel to the Lord their God and that he would go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah… “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Mary was told that the “holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” So, Zechariah was told he would have a son who would be the forerunner of Jesus to prepare the way for him; and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord via his messages of repentance, and that many people would be brought back to the Lord their God. And, Mary was told that she was going to give birth to the holy one of God, i.e. to the very Son of God; the Savior; and the eternal King whose kingdom would never end.
Zechariah, nonetheless, responded by questioning the angel; by doubting what he had just heard. He said, “How can I be sure of this?” He didn’t believe what the angel was telling him because he was looking at his natural circumstances of how old he and his wife were and how they were beyond child bearing years. Because of his lack of faith, he was struck mute and could not speak until the child was born, so he was not able to give audible testimony of what he had just witnessed and the promise he had been given of the birth of his son.
Mary, on the other hand, had a quite different response though very similar in nature. She, too, responded with a question that on the surface level may appear somewhat like Zechariah’s question, only it was quite different. Mary asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Mary didn’t ask “How can I be sure of this?” She did not doubt the angel’s voice to her. She believed the angel. She was just seeking further understanding. So, the angel provided her with that further understanding by telling her how this would happen. The Holy Spirit of God would come upon her and she would give birth to the Son of God via the Holy Spirit. And, even there, Mary did not doubt what she was told. She may not have understood all of it, but she believed what the angel said to her. And, I love her response:
“I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
Wow!! If all of us had such a trusting response when the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts through God’s word and gives us his promises for our lives, or instructs us, corrects us, rebukes us, or encourages us, etc., that would be awesome!
Zechariah considered the fact that he and his wife were beyond years for having a child and he allowed that to hinder his faith to the point to where he doubted. He was looking at his physical limitations. That did not change what God had promised, though. He still had John and John was everything the angel said he would be. Our lack of faith does not alter the promises of God. What it does, though, is keep us from being able to be part of the process so that we miss out on all the blessings of faith. Zechariah was mute until the promise was fulfilled, so he was not able to give audible testimony. Nonetheless, his wife Elizabeth, when she became pregnant, gave the glory to God – “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor…”
Mary, because of her faith, was able to give immediate testimony to her Lord by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Awesome!!
So, Mary got to be a part of the whole process of what God had promised in her life, because she submitted to God, even though I am certain she did not have complete understanding. For her to say this meant for her to submit, not only to being found in favor with God to be the one chosen to be the mother of God’s Son, but it would mean for her that she would share in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering, become like him in his death – she would be falsely accused of adultery, she would be rejected, ridiculed, and even almost stoned to death for what appeared to be her immorality. And Joseph, by agreeing to marry her, also submitted himself to the will of God knowing that he would share in Mary’s shame and persecution and rejection. So, when Mary said “Yes,” to God’s will for her life, it meant death to her reputation and to her former way of life, as well as it meant to share in the joy of the salvation provided by Jesus via his death and resurrection and of changed lives.
When we choose to believe in Jesus Christ, he also allows us to be a part of the process of what God is doing on this earth. Whether we believe or not will not change who God is or what he has promised, but if we doubt, then we will miss out on the privilege of sharing in what God wants to do in our lives and in the lives of the people of the world through our faith in Jesus Christ and our faith in his promises to us. Yet, if we believe, even if we don’t completely understand it all, we will be blessed with sharing with Jesus in the process of changed lives by the saving grace of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Along with that, though, will also come persecutions, rejection, and/or false accusations, etc. from those who don’t understand who Jesus is and what he is really all about.
When I sat down to have my quiet time with the Lord, I wrote about the individual preparations I was making for the cold weather of the winter in order to stay warm. John the Baptist was sent to make preparation for the Lord Jesus and to turn hearts back to the Lord, their God. Our Lord Jesus is going to return one day. We need to be prepared for his return by making the spiritual preparations in our lives of repentance, genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and obedience to His Word and to His will for our lives. So, we have a choice: Be like Zechariah and doubt God and his promises to us and miss out on the blessings of God that accompany that faith, or be like Mary and say, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Which will it be?
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