When Your Miracle Comes Late
"I am...old...and my wife is [too]"
Luke 1:18
When an angel told Mary that she would conceive, although it wasn’t something that she had been praying for she said “Let it be, according to your word”. [Luke 1:38]
However, when an angel appeared to Zechariah, “He…was gripped with fear”. When the angel told him, “Your prayer has been heard, Elizabeth will bear you a son…Zechariah asked…’ How can I be sure?… I am old and my wife is well along in years'”.
What do you do when God answers your prayer and you don’t know if you can still handle it? When he sends you a son whose name has already been chosen, who doesn’t necessarily resemble you, and whose destiny is already decided? Or when he gives you the job you have always wanted, the relationship you never thought you’d have, or the ministry opportunity you didn’t think would come again? You can either say, “I can’t” or “I am willing”. “Bring in it on Lord!”
When the right time came, God sent his Son. Notice, God doesn’t consult you to make sure His plans line up with your timetable or if they meet with our approval, He simply directs our steps. He calls the shots, even when it means we have to run to keep up!
But sometimes God will shake your foundation in order to develop your core muscles. If you work out, you know that lifting weights is much easier when you are on solid ground. When you’re on a balance ball, for example, you have to work hard to insure the weights don’t come back down and crush you. When your miracle arrives late, God is strengthening your faith and teaching you to stay balanced under pressure.