By Todd Barrier 

I don’t know about you, but when I study the gospels, Luke sometimes gets the short end of the stick. I seem to focus on Matthew and John primarily and, to a lesser extent, Mark.  

So I decided to focus more on Luke and preach on it the past few lessons I have preached.  

Someone described the author as a “painter with words.” Luke helps us paint a picture in our heads of the gospel of Christ. 

One thing I noticed in the opening chapter is the amazing story of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the baptizer. They were described as being as close to perfect as humans could be; yet, they were advanced in age and had no children.  

I thought about how difficult that must have been – to be so loyal to God, yet wonder why He hadn’t blessed them with a child.  

Once Elizabeth became pregnant with John, and they learned everything they had been told by an angel, everything probably made more sense.  

Up to that point, though, they most likely didn’t understand but were OK with not knowing and continued on in their journey with God.  

Some of us have things happen in our lives that we don’t understand, and it causes strife. How can we be more like John’s parents and be OK when we don’t know or understand?  

Here’s why I think they were able to do it:  

1. They had a Godly vision for their life that led them even when times got tough.  
2. They had a trusting faith in God, not just belief. 
3. They had hope of a future because of their trusting faith. 
4. Everything they did was rooted in a love for God, who He is and what He did for them. 
5. This love allowed them to trust, believe, hope and be led by their vision. 

Will you be OK with not knowing or understanding some difficult situations in life and forging on with God?  

We look forward to seeing you Sunday!