Debbie's Perspective

Just my thoughts of the day.

Dec 14

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 20

by Debbie

Expectation (Revised and reposted from December 19, 2021)

My lack of expectation could have cost me the child I had longed for. Decades of dashed hopes and the disgrace of barrenness had hardened my heart and caused me to lose hope that my prayers would ever be answered. Now, as I stand here holding this miracle of God, I think back to that life-changing day.

It started out as any other day with my order of priests on duty for the week. I had been chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. I hadn’t been in the Holy Place for long before he appeared, a huge angel of the Lord standing right there to the right of the incense altar. I was so overwhelmed by fear that I almost couldn’t stand.

He told me not to fear and called me by my name, Zechariah. Then he started telling me the wildest story – Elizabeth was going to give me a son, and we were to name him John. He went on to describe the boy and all he would do. It sounded incredible, but didn’t he realize how old Elizabeth and I were? How could this possibly be true?

I realize now that he could have struck me dead right then and there. What a fool I was. How was I doubting this when I was looking right into the eyes of this angelic being? Instead of striking me dead, he let me know that he was Gabriel and he stands in the very presence of God. God Himself had sent him to tell me this good news. But now that I had not believed him, I would be made silent and unable to speak until the child was born.

It didn’t matter that I had my doubts, God was still faithful to His promise, and this would be fulfilled in its proper time.

The other priests were waiting on me and had begun to worry that something was wrong. When I walked out and couldn’t speak, they knew something had happened. I finally got them to understand I had seen a vision. I’m thankful my merciful God gave me the time to regain my faith. Now I stand here holding the son He promised we would have.

John, his name is John, and I wait with great expectation to see all that the angel told me about him come to pass.

Luke 1:5-25; 57-79 NLT

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Dec 13

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 19

by Debbie

Luke 1:56 tells us that Mary stayed there with Elizabeth for about three months and then went home. It doesn’t tell us if she stayed for the birth of John or left before he was born. Since she arrived when Elizabeth was six months pregnant and was there with her for three months, you would assume she stayed until the baby was born. Was this a preparation time for her own pregnancy and delivery?

“When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her. When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, ‘No, his name is John!’ ‘What,’ they exclaimed. ‘There is no one in all your family by that name.’ So, they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise, he wrote, ‘His name is John.’ Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.” Luke 1:59-64 (NLT)

Elizabeth had a boy, just as God had promised she would. All the neighbors and relatives rejoiced with them; just what Gabriel told them would happen. Now came the naming of the child. Since Zechariah was unable to speak, the crowd assumed they knew what he would want this boy to be named, Zechariah, of course. Elizabeth is quick and adamant that his name is John. They acted like she was crazy and then asked Zechariah what he wanted to name him. You can’t really blame them for not understanding why Elizabeth would name the child some name that wasn’t attached to their family. In any other instance, Zechariah would have wanted this boy he had waited for all these years to have his name.

It’s puzzling to me why they would use gestures to ask Zechariah since he was not deaf but merely mute. Since he communicated with gestures, it may have seemed natural to talk to him using gestures as well. But this may indicate that he and Elizabeth had both cloistered themselves away, not sharing this coming miracle with anyone else until it actually came to pass. We might even think that Zechariah was still harboring some light doubt, but the way he quickly let them know his son’s name was John without any hesitation is telling. This was an act of faith and obedience for Zechariah. He may have doubted the initial announcement, but it is clear here that he no longer doubted the promise God had given him. God was faithful to return his voice, and the first thing he did was praise the God who keeps His promises. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied about God’s goodness, power to save, mercy, and much more. You can read his whole prophecy in Luke 1:68-79.

Awe struck everyone, they spread the news through the Judean hills, and those who heard the story wondered what this special child would turn out to be. It was evident to everyone that God had his hand on this boy.

The last verse in this chapter tells us that “John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry in Israel.” Luke 1:80 (NLT) He fulfilled everything the angel said about him during his life.

Today’s truth is that if God says it is going to happen, it does. When we look at the Word of God, we see prophecies that are spoken centuries before they come to pass, but they come to pass. We see others spoken, and in a short time, it happens. If story after story shows us evidence that God is faithful to what He says He will do, we can be sure that every promise in His Word that hasn’t been fulfilled yet, is on its way.

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Dec 9

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 15

by Debbie

In yesterday’s post, I contemplated whether Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid because he thought she was afraid of him or if he knows she’s concerned about his greeting and what it means to her. Another thought came to me that maybe he’s telling her not to be afraid of what she is about to hear. This is going to be news that will change the course of history, and her life will never be the same.

“Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom, there shall be no end.” Luke 1: 31-33 (AMP)

Do you think Gabriel is telling her to stop worrying about his greeting and focus on what he’s about to say? “Listen carefully.” Other versions say, “And behold,” but any way you say it, I still think he was telling her to focus before he drops the most incredible news on her that she is going to conceive and give birth to God’s Son. This is the most important news anyone will ever hear, and she must pay attention.

She is to name this child Jesus. As I said in an earlier post, Jesus was a common name at the time, but the name means, ‘The Salvation of Yahweh.’ The description of Him will point to all that He will be. His name won’t just mean the Salvation of Yahweh, He will be the Salvation of Yahweh.

 He will be given David’s throne just as prophecies of the Messiah have said, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will have no end. By this point, Mary may be realizing that she is the virgin talked about in those prophecies about the Messiah, and the Son she will give birth to will be the Messiah they’ve waited and watched for all these years.

The encouragement of the angel to not be afraid is very powerful about now. She’s young, not even married yet, and the task in front of her is daunting. Was Mary afraid? Was she excited? Did she really understand at this moment the full ramifications of everything? Whatever her emotions, the Lord is with her, she is highly favored, and she needn’t be afraid.

Today’s truth is we have nothing to fear, either. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior during this season, let’s remember who we are in Him and all that He has promised us. Like Mary, God is with us. Jesus said He is with us always to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20), we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3), and we are favored, He has blessed us with His glorious grace in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), meaning we have His divine grace which is His undeserved love and favor.

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Dec 8

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 14

by Debbie

Today we will begin to examine the story of Mary and Joseph. We’ve already looked at the story from the report in Matthew, but let’s look at what Luke has to say about Mary and her visit from the angel Gabriel.

“Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy], the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at what he said and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:26-31 (AMP)

Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth. In this translation, it is called a city, but commentators say that Nazareth was an obscure village in the Region of Galilee. This is the first time it’s mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. It’s far from everything and has no acclaim to it. It seems strange that God would use such a small unknown place to identify Christ with. There are multiple scriptures referring to Jesus as ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Nathanael, in John 1:46, asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John’s birth announcement came to a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem, and yet our Savior’s birth announcement came to an obscure village in the middle of nowhere to a young girl. In God’s economy, no person or place is too unknown or obscure for Him.

This young girl, a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, is the one the angel was sent to. Her name is Mary meaning ‘exalted one.’ At some point in man’s eyes, she will be exalted, but I’m sure Mary has never seen herself in that way. She’s a poor girl in a small village just living her life, preparing for her marriage to Joseph. In comes an angel and declares a pretty amazing greeting calling her “favored one” and saying, “the Lord is with you.” The thing that strikes me in this account is that Mary doesn’t seem to be terrified like Zechariah when she sees the angel. She’s perplexed by what he says to her and carefully considers what this kind of greeting means. When the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, is he saying this because he thinks she is afraid of him, or he sees her concern over the greeting and what it may mean for her? To me, this shows me that Mary was not some frivolous silly young girl. No, she is a thinker, and this is the first of many times she will ponder the events around her in her heart.

Mary has found favor with God. He has seen her and chosen her to be the mother of His Son. She will need to hang on to these words in the coming days.

Today’s truth is, that we are never too hidden for God to see and move in our lives.

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Dec 6

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 12

by Debbie

Zechariah and Elizabeth have no children. It’s obvious from later in this story that this was not a choice they made, it was a reproach to them. At that time, being barren was looked at as a judgment of God. People thought you probably had some secret sin in your life. Now the angel is telling Zechariah that Elizabeth is going to give him a son, and this child is going to be pretty incredible. So, is Zechariah dancing in the streets from this news? Let’s see.

“Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.’” Luke 1:18 (NLT)

Basically, he’s telling the angel that he thinks this is impossible because… “Have you seen us; we are too old to have kids, are you messing with me?” On the one hand, you really can’t blame him, God hadn’t been speaking for the last 400 years, so angels weren’t regularly giving people big messages like this. Plus, I’m sure after a lifetime of praying for his biggest heart’s desire, he had given up a long time ago on believing that God was going to answer that prayer. On the other hand, there is this heavenly being standing right in front of him, bringing this message. The angel let him know pretty quickly that he wasn’t too happy with Zechariah doubting his message.

“The angel said to him, “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. 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 appointed time.” Luke 1:19-20 (NLT)

Zechariah could only see his circumstances and the impossibility in them. Gabriel was bringing really good news, and he wasn’t believing him. The angel let him know who he was and what his credentials were for bringing this message. He stands in the presence of God, and if God says it, it will happen. Then he silences Zechariah before he can speak any other words of unbelief. This was God’s plan, and as the angel said, it would come true at the appointed time whether Zechariah had the faith for it to happen or not. Thankfully it was about God’s plan and promise being fulfilled and not Zechariah’s faith.

Today’s truth is this, “…if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)  

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Dec 2

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 8

by Debbie

Let’s back up just a little bit. After visiting John chapter 1 and finding out Jesus existed as the second person in the Godhead before time began and then heading over into Isaiah to check out the prophecies foretelling the birth of Jesus, we jumped into Matthew. Matthew began the story with Jesus’ genealogy and went straight to Joseph and Mary. But there was an angel visitation a few months before Joseph and Mary had theirs. So, we are going to head on over to Luke and do some digging there. We will examine the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth for a few days. There are too many details to dig through to give it just one day. Today, though, we are going to look at how Luke begins his book.

“Since many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting to me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in an orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.” Luke 1:1-4 (NASB2020)

He’s not about to tell us some fairy tale stories. They aren’t made up by someone. No, these are real people with real lives who experienced incredible things. Luke is telling us that he carefully searched out and investigated all the events he shares in this book from the very beginning.

Luke was a doctor. He had experience examining evidence, but in case anyone thought he was just a regular guy doing some amateur sleuthing, he wrote these first four verses in technically beautiful Greek. It was written in classical Greek, in the same way that classical Greek historians would open up their histories. By writing in this way, Luke was letting everyone know that he knows his stuff. He’s a scholar. Then, in verse five, he starts talking in common street Greek. He establishes his credentials as a scholar with legitimate research and investigation chops and then writes a story for everyone.  

Why does that matter? Well, as I said above, these weren’t made-up stories. Luke examined the evidence and wrote the exact truth that could be backed up by those who lived it. It enables us to read these accounts with confidence in what we’ve been taught. As he tells Theophilus, he’s writing this book so that we may know the certainty of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Today’s truth is that the Christmas story details we are examining over these 30 days are real events we can base our lives on. We can be certain that the things we have been taught out of these scriptures are the exact truth.

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Dec 1

30 Days in the Christmas Story: Day 7

by Debbie

The angel told Joseph that the child within Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that she would have a son, and that he was to name Him Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. This was already big news, but then what the angel said next was even more amazing.

“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying: ‘Behold, the virgin will be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” Matthew 1:22-23 (NKJV)

Not only were Joseph and Mary supposed to wrap their head around the fact that she was carrying a child conceived by the Holy Spirit while she was still a virgin, but it’s happening just as Isaiah prophesied it over 700 years before. They would have known this prophecy, but here they are a part of its fulfillment.

“When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.” Matthew 1:24-25 (NLT)

When Joseph woke up, he could have thought, “Wow, that was a crazy dream,” but he didn’t. He did just what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. The angel didn’t just ask him to do these things, he commanded him to do them. That could have played a part in Joseph getting up and actively obeying.

Remember, we read that Joseph was a righteous man, well, that word in Greek is dikaios, meaning righteous, observing divine laws, virtuous, and keeping the commands of God. Used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God. He wasn’t just a good guy; he was a guy who was going to do what God told him to do. It’s a good thing, too, because Joseph was going to have a few more encounters with that angel, and it wasn’t going to be an easy road ahead.

When the angel said to take Mary as his wife, it meant he was to bring her home to live with him. He was going to be responsible for her and the child now. Did Mary tell her parents? Did they believe her? Did Joseph tell them about his dream with the angel? Or were Mary and Joseph talked about by their village as a couple who just couldn’t wait for the ceremony? Since Joseph took Mary as his wife, they had to think that he was the father of the child she carried.

Their reputations were probably ruined. Gossip about them was surely rampant. But this young couple was so committed to this incredible journey God had put them on that in the face of all this, they remained true to their mission and kept Mary a virgin until the birth of Jesus.

Today’s truth is that you can be smack dab in the big middle of the perfect will of God, and life can be incredibly hard around you. I wonder if Mary was the first one to tell James, Jesus’ brother, to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials?” (James 1:2a)

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Jul 17

The Runaway

by Debbie

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~ Philippians 4:6

The cell phone rang beside the bed waking us both up. I looked at the clock; 5:15 am. Van answered with a strange voice. I could tell he knew the caller but was cautious, then a strained, “Where are you?”

It was our seventeen year old son who has autism. This past year we’ve had problems with him sneaking out in the middle of the night to go to the school down the street to touch doors. Apparently the beeping that alerts us to a door or window didn’t wake us up. How did he escape this time; a door left unlocked or through a window? Windows are his new escape route. We knew it wouldn’t be long before he figured out all he had to do was open the window and push out the screen.

“Pearson Ranch,” Van said incredulously. My mind screamed, but that’s a mile away! Our son was in his pajamas a mile away headed to a major highway. Van told him to wait and he’d be right there to get him, and then ran to get dressed and leave. I looked around to see how our son had gotten out. It was the garage door, the deadbolt was unlocked. One of us had gone through that door and left it unlocked. In anyone else’s house it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Before this past year it never was a big deal in our house either. That door was never locked. Now with its keyed deadbolt and locking key keeper beside the door, it’s supposed to remain locked at all times. The hard part is that most of the time it really doesn’t matter if it’s locked because Carson is fine and doesn’t want to leave the house, but when it matters, it matters so we can’t take the risk. We left it unlocked, and now our sweet innocent boy who doesn’t understand danger is standing on the side of the road a mile away in the dark.

My husband left and I slipped onto my knees beside the bed. “Oh Lord, keep my baby safe. Thank you that he took his phone with him, and thank you that he knows where he is and called us.” I prayed as anxious thoughts bombarded me with what ifs. I prayed out of need for comfort from my Heavenly Father, but I also prayed out of obedience. I could stand there wringing my hands with worry letting my anxious thoughts race or I could take every thought captive and bring it back to God’s truth. His word tells me not to be anxious, but to bring my petitions to Him with thanksgiving. Not thanksgiving for this calamity at the moment, but thanksgiving that He is the one who can do exceedingly abundantly more than I could think or ask. Then, when I’ve been obedient to come to Him in my distress, He will give me the peace I long for. My heart calmed and I sat on the side of the bed listening for the car.

Lord, I don’t understand why this is happening with our son. I don’t know what to do to make him safer, but You do. I will keep coming to you daily taking it step by step as you lead us through this valley. Amen.
2 Corinthians 10:5, Ephesians 3:20

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Feb 2

Selective Listener?

by Debbie

Luke 6:27a ~ “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies!

I was just walking toward the kitchen as my husband walked past me and quickly said, “Don’t worry, I have already asked her to clean it all up.”  Then he promptly left the house for work.

I hesitantly walked around the corner and came face to face with my teenage daughter using her feet on two dish towels swiping away at the floor.  When she saw the look on my face she said, “Mom, you should be glad that I already cleaned up a lot of it.  It was really messy earlier.  Great! I thought as I surveyed the flour and powdered sugar dusted counters, the sink and counter full of dishes, and the little drifts of powdered sugar clinging to two of the cabinet doors.

I was already frustrated irritated, okay let’s be really honest, I was angry with her over two other incidents in the last couple of days.  So last night when she just had to bake these cookies for the school project – at 10:30 p.m. – I went to bed.

After cleaning the kitchen (grudgingly because the bus doesn’t wait, and let’s face it, her cleaning methods were just making a bigger mess at the moment), but having her make her own lunch because I was taking care of her mess, I sat down to have a little quiet time with the Lord hoping for a new perspective on things.  He never disappoints.

I was reading the verse that practically screamed off the page at me, “But to you who are willing to listen…”  Well, of course, I listen.  Those who don’t would be the unbelievers or those who pick and choose what they want out of the Bible, right? I felt the Holy Spirit nudge at my heart and ask, “Are you sure it isn’t talking about you?”

Okay, Lord, show me what you want me to see.  He said, “Well, now that you are willing to LISTEN, I’d be happy to show you.  Just keep reading.”  As I read about how I am to love, be good to, bless, and pray for my enemies, I realized I wasn’t even doing that for my family so how could I possibly do it for my enemies.  Oh no! I was a selective listener.

Of course I love my family, I do good for them, I bless them, and I certainly pray for them.  I justified the situation; after all, I was just a little mad at the moment.  But wait, this passage doesn’t stop at those.  Oh goodness, there is more!  What about turning the other cheek, offering my shirt when my coat has been demanded of me, and giving freely without asking for anything in return?  Surely this isn’t talking about my situation because I’m dealing with my child, not enemies.

Hmmm, let’s see.  The end of verse 35 says that if I do all of these things I will truly be acting as a child of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.  Then in verse 36 Jesus says, “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

I know sometimes I have to chastise and discipline my children, and it is clear in God’s word that He does that to us, His children, because He loves us.  But, He is also compassionate toward us, and sometimes just makes sure we are listening and then teaches us the right things to do.

 

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Jan 2

The Path Ahead

by Debbie

The mountain path

The Path

The mountain waits for me to begin my climb. The road leads in, but I can’t see where it goes. Does it end somewhere in there among the trees and boulders that block my view? How treacherous is it?

The mountain is beautiful from here. Untouched by my presence. I can imagine all kinds of things from ground level.

Only taking a step onto that unknown ground will give me an accurate understanding of the road that lies before me.  I can’t see my next step until I take this one.

Here I go.

One hesitant step at a time.

Lord, you’ve promised to be a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.  Let me have eyes to see the light you are shining right at my toes.

Help me stop trying to stare into the distance, squinting through the darkness trying to discern the path ahead.  Is that a bear or just a rock in the shadows?  It’s hard to tell in the darkness of the trees that block my way.

Oh yes, the light, the light I’m supposed to be using is here, here at my feet illuminating the rocks and the dip in the road.  I could easily dismiss them as unimportant.  These aren’t so big. I could have traversed them all on my own.

But isn’t it the little things that trip us up; cause us to stumble and scrape our hands and knees? It’s the little dips in the road we don’t see that catch our toe and throw us down.

I can’t be looking ahead to the big things – they won’t be missed when I come upon them.  I must keep to the road at my feet, letting the light from the lamp of the Lord shine on those things I need to keep my eye on.

 

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