zechariah and elizabeth

Zechariah and Elizabeth honored God.....and they really wanted a child. One day, an angel appeared to Zechariah and gave him a message from God, telling him that Elizabeth was going to have a very special son. The angel Gabriel told him that they were to name him John and that he would bring joy and gladness to many people.
Zechariah was a little doubtful and questioned Gabriel, as he and Elizabeth were quite old. This apparently was not the right thing to do.....as God took away Zechariah's voice as a sign of His power. (we read later that he did indeed get his voice back shortly after John was born)



But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. ~Luke 1:13-15

habakkuk

In tonight's reading......from what I am trying to figure out (this is a tough one).....it seems that Habakkuk is questioning if God truly cares and/or is fair with all the injustice going on in his time. I guess there are many Habakkuk today as well. We then learn that God assures us that He does hear our prayers and promises that He will deliver us (answer prayers) in His timing. We also read that God promises He will judge all evil in the world. We just need to stay faithful and keep watch.

So here is my lovely watchtower, made from that foam craft stuff. It does look more like a thimble that has seen better days.......but at this point, (just like last year...it's Dec 19th and I haven't even finished with my Christmas cards) we are going with it :)

The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. ~Habakkuk 1:5

daniel

I cannot imagine living in a world where it was against the law to worship God....tonight's reading is about Daniel who knew and believed that God was the only true God. He was so faithful that he didn't care that it might cost him his life. He was punished and thrown in a pit of lions for breaking the law. But God protected Daniel and he was not touched by the dangerous hungry creatures. When people learned about God's power and how Daniel trusted and honored God.....they too worshiped Him too.

We have to give Pier One credit for this ornament! ;)

For he is the living God,
and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his rule will never end.
He rescues and saves his people;
he performs miraculous signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions. ~Daniel 6:26-27

micah

Tonight's devotion is about how Micah the prophet wrote that Bethlehem would be the place where the Savior would be born. Back in Bible times, most rulers were born in larger cities....but Jesus was born in this small ordinary village.

Not so sure that they had sky scrapers or their own version of a leaning tower.......but Ezra did a great job with his sculpted city ornament to represent Bethlehem.

And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. And he will be the source of peace ~Micah 5:4-5

a promise of peace

Tonight is a short, but very powerful scripture to read. It was the "follow-up" to The Jesse Tree passage......

so I will just post it here....the message is such a wonderful promise.

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. ~Isaiah 11:6-9