But God Said I Can…Even Me

Our God is a God of peace which passes all understanding.  He can take our circumstances and make them vanish. He can calm our storms, move our mountains and leave us wondering how in the world it all happened.
We can start our journey by thinking the way God thinks. In Matthew 16:23 Jesus said, “You are a stumbling block to me.  You think as men think, not as God thinks”. Jesus tells us that when we think like men, we stumble. What we think and how we think will change our destiny. Wrong thinking guides us down paths of destruction. We must get a new attitude and a new way of thinking; we need to think as God thinks.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…his good, pleasing and perfect will.
When our thinking lines up with God’s thinking the scripture 1 John 5:14-15 comes to life. The scripture says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”. The possibilities are limitless when we think the way God thinks.
Our God is a God we can trust. When we remain faithful to God and seek His will then God starts working miracles in our lives. God did incredible, miraculous things through Abigail, Wanda, Bathseba, Tasha, Pharaoh’s Daughter, Iris and He does them through us.
Chapter One
Elizabeth – Luke 1:37 For nothing is impossible with God.
Elizabeth demonstrated her obedience to God from the heart. She demonstrated her loyalty to God in her witness to her people by following God’s law and in obedience to God’s direction.  Because of her faithfulness and obedience Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were called “upright in the sight of God”. Elizabeth and Zechariah were about to be recipients of not only an answered prayer but also a miracle. God answers prayers in His own way and in His own time. God worked in yet another impossible situation. Elizabeth who could not bore children would soon bear a son. But not just any son; God entrusted Elizabeth to birth the son that would prepare the way for the Messiah. Elizabeth was a part of the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. If we want our prayers to be answered, we must be open to what God can and will do in impossible circumstances. We must wait for God to work in His time and His way.
In the time of Elizabeth’s life in Israel, a woman’s worth was mostly defined by her ability to bear children.  To age without children often led to personal hardship and public humiliation. Elizabeth was childless and old, coping with a painful and lonely time, but she remained faithful to God.
Both Elizabeth and Zechariah came from priestly families.  For two weeks each year, Zechariah had to go to the temple in Jerusalem to attend to his priestly duties.  After one of those trips, Zechariah returned home excited, but speechless. He had to write down his good news, because he couldn’t communicate it any other way. What a wonderful surprise he had for his wife.  Their lost dream would become an exciting reality! Soon Elizabeth became pregnant, and she knew her child was a long-hoped-for gift from God.
News traveled fast among the family.  Seventy miles to the north, in Nazareth, Mary, Elizabeth’s relative, also became pregnant unexpectedly. Within days after the angel’s message that she would bear the Messiah, Mary went to visit Elizabeth.  They were instantly bound together by the unique gifts God had given them. Elizabeth knew that Mary’s son would be even greater than her own, for John would be the messenger for Mary’s son.
When her son was born, Elizabeth insisted on his God-given name John. Zechariah’s written agreement freed his tongue and everyone in town wondered what would become of this obviously special child. But God Said I Can!
Prayer Point
Why is Elizabeth an “Even Me”?
Elizabeth whispered her praise as she cared for God’s gift.  Knowing about Mary must have made her marvel at God’s timing. Things worked out even better than she could have planned. We too need to remember that God is in control of every situation of our lives.  When did you last pause to recognize God’s timing in the events of your life?