Nothing Can Stop an Unstoppable God Santus Real
The How of Christmas:
How shall I know this? (Zacharias) Luke 1:18
How can this be? (Mary) Luke 1:34
Mind Over Matter
How? This is the hundred thousand dollar question of the Nativity. How? “How?” is a mind trying to make sense of the impossible, the improbable, the unexplainable. “How?” is an attempt to wrap our heads around what our hearts know to be so! It is a battle between the head and the heart until they come into agreement.
Two unlikely people experiencing what their faith has told them for centuries will occur and now it is happening. BUT, God is using them to achieve His plan to redeem mankind from sin, sickness, slavery, and succumbing to death.
An old man. A man who has prayed until he can pray no longer. He prays no longer because what is the point? Yes, old men can sire children, but old women cannot conceive. The old man’s wife is long past the years of crying every month because she remains childless.
A very young girl may have had her first course. She doesn’t even know if she has matured physically enough to conceive and yet she is told she has.
Doubt vs Surrender
Both echo the same question: “HOW?” Minds groping for answers to unanswerable questions. One of the questioners is doubting, the other is surrendering. We too fall into one of these two camps: Doubter or Surrenderer.
The heart is where the decision is made into which camp we fall. An angel stood before both. The angel spoke to both plainly. One stood in the Presence of the Lord before the Altar of Incense offering the prayers of the people. The other stood, in an ordinary place.
Both were “troubled:” one in fear, the other in awe! The angel told both man and girl to not be afraid, for the Lord had heard his prayers and she had found favor. The message was a child is coming! One miraculously the human way and one miraculously the divine way. Each was told the name of the child coming: John and Jesus. Both would be cause for great rejoicing. Both of these babes had a God-given personality and a DIVINE purpose.
Consequences Follow
One questioner received a reprimand, the other an explanation. The difference? One doubted the other one believed. Gabriel could tell the difference because he stood in the Presence of God who knows the secrets of all men’s hearts. (Ps 44:21) The skeptic was silenced, the seeker was supported with the gentle reminder: For with God, nothing will be impossible. (Jer. 32:17)
The Father does not mind our questions. What He does not tolerate is unbelief. His dealings with mankind from the beginning have not been what man expected. Our expectations destroy relationships!
“How shall I know this?” vs “How can this be?” The tone of the question rose from the heart of the one God chose to use. The answer given was based not on a change of plan but in response to the heart of the one asking.
Our Questions
The questions of Nativity continue to challenge us.. We too want answers to the questions we ask. I have said, “When I get to heaven I have some questions for the Lord!” Trust me, most of the time the tone is not one of surrender but skepticism. These two “how” questions should remind us to Whom we are speaking. Reverence is required, faith is a must, and obedience is expected. Everything in our mortal bodies resists this. Our heart must rule our head and tongue. We must have faith. God the Father will ALWAYS do what He says He will do! Believe it! He is never late. He is never wrong. His plans are beyond all we can think or imagine. (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:28)
How becomes the question we ask when we are asked to be available to the Lord. We may never get a complete answer. Even if He gave us the answer I doubt we would comprehend the explanation. For every assignment given to man in scripture the response was either, “Yes, Lord!” Or, it was a big fat “No!” The result was the same: God did what He planned and the one asked to participate with God either earned God’s favor or His displeasure. Which camp would you prefer to fall into? The decision is yours. The consequences are yours too but you do not get to choose them! And your choice affects many others.
The Choice
Albert Einstein was a genius. This quote proves it. There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Father,
Thank You for this season we call Christmas. Thank You for sharing the questions of the cast of the very first Christmas. I thank You for taking our questions and Father, give us hearts to receive Your answers! In the name of the Lamb of the world who takes away our sin, Amen
