Growing up, I was well-known,
Being from the line of Aaron
Every marriage and birth was a celebrated milestone;
No one ever breathed the word “barren.”
When Zechariah and I married,
We spoke of our hopes and dream,
Even how many years would pass between
Each boy and girl I would wean.
Of course, the first boy would be Zechariah,
Then we thought of Elijah and Josiah,
Boys who would learn the prophecies of the Messiah.
And then Abigail, Deborah, even Hannah,
Girls who’d learn how God provided with divine manna.
But when ten years of marriage passed,
Sadness and fear loomed more and more.
Could barrenness be what God had in store?
That’s the question I never wanted to ask:
What had I done wrong?
I tried to follow His ways all along.
Each morning we knelt on our knees,
Begging Yahweh to hear our plea.
As I waited, I thought of our people
Longing for the Deliverer to set us free.
From others, I hid my tears of lament.
Yet I wondered at the LORD’s intent.
Would I trust the hand of my God
When everything in life seemed terribly flawed?
Every day I had a choice:
To live in despair or listen to truth preached from the prophets of old.
Would I believe all they foretold?
I did my best to make peace with my lot,
Tried not to let the looks of pity or judgment pierce.
Still—
Some days I felt like God’s blind spot.
The Maker does things just as He ought.
The clay cannot say “Why did you make me this pot?”
Though, my people have a history of that very thinking.
So when my sisters welcomed grandchildren home
Yahweh’s promises kept me from sinking.
Even as tears welled when I sat all alone
When Zechariah came home that day,
I knew something extraordinary had occurred.
He grabbed his tablet to display
The message from Gabriel, every single word.
As I read “Elizabeth will bear a son,”
My heart was completely undone.
What if our waiting hadn’t been misplaced?
What if our delays would bring unspeakable grace?
(verse slide)
After a few months, it became clear
The impossible was our reality,
God was melting away my fear
And hope came to life that year.
I kept to myself for a few months more,
Delighting in the unfolding of this wondrous gift.
I felt God’s favor like never before,
The clouds of silence were about to lift.
