Waiting for Divine Reversals

One ironic feature of Luke's Christmas account is the timing of his writing of both the Gospel and the Book of Acts. Luke packs the Christmas account with references to and illustrations of divine reversals. Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless and elderly; yet the Lord provided them with a son. Mary was a meek young virgin; yet she was selected to become the mother of the Lord. Shepherds were the dregs of society at that time; yet they were the first to visit the Lord following his birth. The list goes on.

The reason why the timing of Luke writing all of this is so ironic is because of the great need for such reversals. Luke wrote both the Gospel and the Book of Acts around 60 A.D. By then, it would have appeared that the reversals he referred to in Luke 1-2 had run their course. For a while after Jesus' death and resurrection, the humble were exalted and the proud were humbled; but, then there was persecution and scattering and suffering.

As it turns out, Luke's account encourages faithful waiting for the Lord's reversals of our difficulties. It does this by portraying a number of people as patiently waiting for the Lord as they went about their everyday life.

Waiting for the Lord, especially waiting for a divine reversal, can be extremely tough. So it may be helpful to take note of how some the Christmas story characters did it; that is, to take note of exactly what they did as they waited for the Lord's divine reversals:

• Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed and served faithfully
• Mary practiced humility
• The shepherds endured hardship
• Simeon followed the leading of the Holy Spirit
• Anna devoted herself to worship, fasting, and prayer

Are you waiting for a divine reversal? Try following the examples these well-known Bible characters set for us.