Have you ever had so much faith that something was going to happen, so much surety, but yet you had no idea HOW God was going to accomplish it, you just had unwavering faith that it would happen? These moments are probably rare in your life just like they are in mine. The opposite is often true in times of silence. Instead of surety, we are left feeling shaken, unsure of anything. We flounder and falter in our faith because our eyes are on the situation we find ourselves in. Today, we witness faith birthed in Mary’s heart as she processes Gabriel’s message.

Remember: Luke 1:29-38

But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. - Luke 1:29-35

This is the sound of faith. Now, what makes Mary’s question different from Zechariah’s? It’s the heart from where it comes. Zechariah’s question came from a place of doubt, doubting not only the message but the Messenger. Mary’s question came from a place of curiosity and wonder. Zechariah’s question was: “How do I know this is going to happen? He doubted God and his power. Mary’s question was: How will this happen? She believed the message and the Messenger, but was curious as to how it would take place.

Zechariah’s question was answered with silence, but Mary’s question was answered with a sure salvation.

Reflect

Our faith can waver in times of waiting. Receiving bad news leaves us troubled. Gabriel gives Mary two assurances in the face of unsure circumstances that births faith in her soul resulting in a surrendered heart.

* God’s faith birthed - “Do not be afraid.” With these words, Gabriel assures her troubled heart that God is in complete control and that she has no reason to be afraid at the angel’s presence or with God’s plan.

* God’s favor bestowed - The reason she does not need to fear is God’s bestowed favor on her life. This is the second time the angel pronounces favor (the smile of God) on Mary. Sometimes, we need that extra assurance of the smile of God on our lives in times of silence and troubling circumstances.

We possess these same assurances because of the surety we have in Christ. Did you notice the subtle appearance of the Trinity in verse 35?

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” - Luke 1:35

Gabriel resided in the presence of God. Day in and day out, for eternity, he has witnessed the workings of the triune God: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The miracle that the triune God would reside in the womb of a humble virgin girl is mind-blowing. But the reality is, when God changes our hearts and we place our faith in Christ, the same happens to us. The triune God resides in us.

“…that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” - Ephesians 3:16-19

Father, Son, and Spirit. We have the power of the triune God moving in our hearts and lives. This is what gives us surety in times of silence.

Respond

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Breathe Out:

You are here now.

The Journey

This journey will take us through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

Have you ever experienced the smile of God? If you have, you know that feeling of God’s approval resting on your heart. A peace that settles deep in your soul that he is pleased with you, not because of anything you’ve done, but because of what Christ has done. The smile of God means living in his favor, grace and approving presence. Today, we see a simple young girl who experiences the smile of God in a totally unexpected way.

Remember: Luke 1:26-28

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” - Luke 1:26-28

In the sixth month, meaning Elizabeth’s sixth month of her pregnancy with John the Baptist, in a small country town, a young girl, just living her life, witnessed her own breakthrough of the silence of God being shattered in Gabriel’s visitation. Mary was not doing anything flashy or attention grabbing for her to experience the smile of God. Gabriel approaches her with a greeting and announcement of God’s favor on her life. She was living a humble, hidden life. No grand accomplishments to illicit the smile of God, it is simply pronounced over her TWICE, first in verse 28 and then again in verse 30. I wonder what her tender heart felt at this greeting?

Reflect

Have you ever felt the “smile of God” on your life? Maybe you feel more the frown of God than you do his favor. We live in a world impressed with accomplishment. A world that praises those who are successful at producing. Christian influencers and celebrities garner the smile of the Christian community, and many times the attention of the world as well.

It’s easy to think the smile of God is only reserved for those in the spotlight. But our Scripture today reinforces the truth that it’s not what we accomplish for God, what we produce for him, or how many people we share Christ with that warrants the approval of God, it’s simply his proclamation over our lives.

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy…” - Titus 3:4-5

If you feel the frown of God today, look to Jesus, see his sacrifice bestowed on unworthy sinners. Reflect on the fact that your humble, hidden life is worthy of the smile of God only because of Christ’s blood applied to you. It’s not based off of what we do or don’t do, it’s a direct result of his approval of his sinless Son’s sacrifice.

Respond

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

Jesus, because of you

Breathe Out:

I experience the smile of God.

The Journey

This journey will take us through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

We live in a world that is a little bit like a fishbowl, there are eyes on everyone at all times. With social media being center stage, our lives can become so public that we forget what it’s like to live life in the hidden. Elizabeth found solace even in her seclusion. God had answered their prayer for a child in a miraculous way, but Elizabeth chose to stay hidden during the first few months of her pregnancy.

Remember: Luke 1:24-25

After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” - Luke 1:24-25

It’s interesting to think about and wonder why she chose seclusion. Perhaps her seclusion mimicked the silence Zechariah experienced in being unable to speak for nine months. Her choice to seclude herself is matched by other biblical hero’s examples of seclusion like Moses, Joseph, Jacob, David, Elijah, Jonah, Paul, John the Baptist and even Jesus himself. Sometimes we need to separate ourselves as we wait for the visible. Sometimes, we need to pull away to process and praise God in hiddenness. She used this time of hiddenness to praise God in private for taking away her public disgrace.

Reflect

Seclusion can sometimes have a positive effect, but during seasons of waiting seclusion can have a negative effect on our hearts. We can sometimes hide away because we’re tired of being in the same position or we’re afraid our friends and family are exhausted with the same story being replayed over and over again. Because we don’t experience relief, we hide.

Elizabeth’s hiding was probably for a very different reason. She says that God had “taken away her reproach among people”. Just like today, barrenness and being unable to have children has such a stigma attached to it. There’s so much shame that comes with this type of waiting. Even though Elizabeth’s reproach had been lifted, she chose to give herself time to process and meditate on her situation.

In the same way, our situation before Christ was barren and hopeless. We were sinners, dead in our sins, unable to fix our separation from God. Our reproach was our sin, but thanks be to God, Christ came to take away our reproach!

Reflect on your situation right now. Ask Jesus what you need most. Maybe you need a time of separation to process and meditate on his truth, getting your heart posture in the right place. Or, you might need people to surround you right now and help pull you out of a dark place as you wait. Sometimes God does his greatest work while we are hidden.

Respond

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

Jesus, I hide myself in you

Breathe Out:

You work in the hidden.

The Journey

This journey will take us through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

Sometimes in the silence, we forget how to hope, we can get a little cynical. Yesterday, we witnessed the four hundred years of silence being shattered with an answer to prayer from Malachi’s prophecy of hope and a personal answer to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayer for a child. Today’s sound to listen for carries a warning. The sound of skepticism has the potential to shatter our faith.

The four hundred years of silence end, but one man’s silence begins because of his skepticism.

Remember: Luke 1:18-23

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. - Luke 1:18-23

Zechariah is silenced because of his skepticism. God will do what he said he would do in blessing them with a child (which is a miracle in itself because Elizabeth was barren and beyond the years of childbearing) but Zechariah would be unable to speak for nine months.

You may wonder, how was his question skeptical of God? Behind his question is a heart of doubt. He says, “How can I know this for certain? What proof can you give me?” As if an angel sent by God breaking the four hundred years of silence wasn’t enough. In his question, Zechariah was doubting not only the message, but the Messenger. He was doubting God.

Gabriel stands in the presence of God. This should be all the proof Zechariah needs, but he doubted and was silenced.

Reflect

This is something to guard against in our seasons of silence. Waiting can cause our belief in God to waver. We doubt his goodness toward us, we doubt his promise, we can even doubt our salvation. We need help remembering his past faithfulness. This help can come in the form of borrowing the faith of a friend to guard against skepticism in the silence.

We need each other in seasons of waiting to guard against the sound of skepticism that can fill our hearts and minds. When our faith feels small, borrowing the faith of a friend gives us courage in the face of doubt.

Respond

Seek out someone in your church community and ask if you can borrow their faith for this season. Give them permission to speak courage into your heart in the form of Scripture infused with their faith.

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

Jesus, you are trustworthy

Breathe Out:

I trust you.

The Journey

This journey will take us through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

Something amazing happens when we’ve been waiting for so long in silence and that silence is suddenly broken with an answer to prayer or even the tiniest glimpse of hope from God. Yesterday we got a peek into the first words that broke the four hundred years of silence. Just four simple words: “Do not be afraid!”. Can you imagine the shock and fear Zechariah must have felt after hearing no word from the Lord to his people for four hundred years and suddenly he is face-to-face with an angel?

Remember: Luke 1:13-17

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” - Luke 1:13-17

Does verse 17 ring a bell? This was the one Malachi was prophesying about!! This was the spirit of Elijah that was promised four hundred years prior!! He is basically quoting Malachi 4:5-6. It’s happening! Hope has come! The silence is shattering!

Reflect

I can’t help but notice how God’s plan of redemption is wrapped up in Zechariah and Elizabeth’s answer to their personal prayer for a child. God is working bigger things that sometimes include smaller things. His joy is aimed at the nations, but his heart is targeted on individuals. In your pain and waiting today, reflect on the truth that your answer to prayer is wrapped up in bigger answers to prayer that include God’s greatest joy of seeing people enfolded into his family.

You would think someone that has waited this long for something would jump for joy and praise God. But sometimes in the silence, we forget how to hope, we can get a little cynical. Tomorrow we will learn to listen for the sound that has the potential to shatter our faith.

Respond

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

My prayers are intertwined with your heart

Breathe Out:

Help me trust your heart for me.

The Journey

This journey will take us through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

Suffering is hard enough, but suffering in silence is perhaps the worst place to be. When prayer is hard, when the heavens feel closed off from us, we need people around us interceding for us in prayer. But before we can even enjoy this privilege of intercession by the community of saints, we need to invite people into our pain.

Remember: Luke 1:10-13

We have two examples of supplication or prayer here in Zechariah’s life.

And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. - Luke 1:10-13

We have the whole congregation praying outside while Zechariah performed his priestly duties, and we have a peek into the private prayers Zechariah and Elizabeth had persevered in praying for a child, along with the beautiful promise that God always hears our prayers.

Reflect

We need believers rallying and praying for us, especially in times of silence and waiting. It is one thing to persevere in prayer in private, but sharing this with your church community (or even with a few trusted friends) so that they can lift you up in prayer is so crucial to surviving our seasons of waiting.

But in order to let them love you in this way, you have to invite them into your pain.

Notice in verse 13, it was while he was serving, while he was praying, that the four hundred years of silence were suddenly broken with these four words, “Do not be afraid…”. Tomorrow, we will look more into this shattering of the four hundred years of silence and the message it brings. But today we must remember: God is working while we serve. He is working while we pray. He’s always working in the waiting.

Sometimes, in the silence, we forget how to hope, we can get a little cynical. Prayer keeps us hopeful. The people of God keep us praying. God keeps us in the waiting.

Respond

Think of one person you can invite into your pain today. Simply ask them to intercede for you in prayer.

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

Jesus, thank you for the gift of prayer

Breathe Out:

I know you hear me.

The Journey

This journey will take us through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

I think one of the hardest parts about waiting, is the silence. It can last for so long, tempting us to give up. We quit trying. The people of God had waited four hundred long years. No word from God. No prophet. No hope. Just the sound of silence. It’s in these moments that we feel like maybe God has forgotten. He’s forgotten to be faithful. Maybe he doesn’t work anymore. Our prayers seem to go unanswered and the wait is long and we give up. We don’t have the capacity to pray let alone serve. But it’s in moments of waiting where we have to put one foot in front of the other. We do the next thing even if it’s mundane and insignificant. We continue washing the dishes. We continue making the beds. We continue cleaning our houses. We continue feeding our family, because it’s the next thing.

Our reading today begins with Zechariah and Elizabeth, just two people doing the mundane in the waiting. Zechariah was a priest and Elizabeth was his wife. And not only were they waiting for the Messiah, but personally, they were waiting in their own pain of longing for a child. They walked through the season of barrenness and into the season where the hope of bearing a child fades into final hopelessness. You may know this heartbreak well. You’ve no doubt experienced the fears and frustration that come with this particular season of waiting. I pray that your heart is encouraged today to continue serving even in the waiting.

Remember: Luke 1:5-7

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Zechariah was a priest. Notice how Zechariah and Elizabeth were both described. They were both righteous. BEFORE GOD. Their outer working matched their inner working. They both walked blamelessly and followed the commandments of the Lord. Four hundred years is a long time and it would be very difficult to continue on in faithfulness with no word from the Lord. It would be easy to quit serving, quit trying. But they were blameless. They followed God faithfully and yet — please don’t miss this — and yet, they were still without children. The one blessing that they longed for they were kept from. It’s not because they were living in sin, it’s not because they had failed to obey God in some way; it’s simply because God was waiting for his perfect time and his perfect plan to unfold.

Reflect

If you have experienced a season of waiting that causes you to live in a place of shame or if someone (or your own mind) has condemned you into thinking you are the cause of this blessing being withheld, hear this truth today: Righteous people experience the silence of God, but God is sovereign in our suffering and waiting.

So, the first sound to be aware of in silence is the Sound of Service. Waiting is active, not passive. Continue serving God faithfully while you are trusting his plan will unfold in HIS perfect timing. Keep holding on to hope in Christ. Keep walking with him in the waiting. Trust that his ways are much higher than our ways and he is busy forming us into his own image through the process of waiting.

Respond

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

Jesus, you work good in my waiting

Breathe Out:

Help me serve you while I wait.

The Journey

This journey will take us from December 1st through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

Every good story starts with the past. Who is the main character? Where did they grow up? What was their family tree like? Today’s reading walks us through the pages of history, tracing the Messiah’s family tree down to the very beginning of time.

Although Jesus’ conception was purely of the Holy Spirit and a miracle, there are two genealogies regarding the Messiah following Mary and Joseph (his adoptive, earthly father), one is legal and one is biological.

The first genealogy in Matthew 1 traces Jesus through the eyes of royalty and Abraham’s lineage, proving Jesus came from the line of David and was the rightful, promised King. The focus of this genealogy is Joseph’s line, proof that he was truly the legal, earthly, adoptive father of Jesus. This genealogy gives evidence that Jesus is the King.

The second genealogy found in Luke 3 follows Mary’s biological line, proving that Jesus is the Son of Man, the Savior of all humanity. He is the promised seed that would fulfill the prophesy in Genesis 3:15. This verse contains the first mention of the Gospel (what theologians call the “protoevangelium”). It’s the Good News that even in humanity’s broken state, after sin separated God from man, God promised to send a Seed who would come from mankind and crush the serpent’s head forever. This genealogy gives evidence that Jesus is the Son of Man.

Remember: Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38

Read both genealogies and note the differences. Remember that God works in the waiting. Both of these genealogies represent so much life happening, so much heartache, but God was working through the good, the bad and the ugly. Remember this when you face your own seasons of waiting, God is working good in the waiting.

Reflect

Notice in Matthew’s genealogy the people that show up: Tamar, Ruth, Rahab. These are women that were not Jewish. They were foreigners, often referred to as “pagans” in those days. They did not come from the line of Abraham and yet God‘s heart is for the nations. It always has been and always will be. So, as we sit in the now, as we wait in the “already-not-yet”, reflect on the fact that God‘s heart is for the nations. You are here for a purpose. you were specifically birthed into this generation, into this time in history — for a purpose — God‘s purpose.

Respond

Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:

Breathe In:

God, even in my waiting

Breathe Out:

You are working good.

The Journey

This journey will take us from December 1st through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

We all find ourselves in seasons of waiting. Sometimes the waiting is small and insignificant like waiting for a red light to turn green or waiting on a hot cup of coffee at your local coffee shop. Then there are the times when the waiting is serious and it’s heavy. Waiting on a medical diagnosis, waiting for a child, waiting on a job, waiting for a husband, waiting for a prodigal to come home, or waiting for a severed relationship to be mended. These seasons are hard and the silence can be deafening in the waiting. How do we listen for the sounds in the silence?

The Journey

This journey will take us through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com

Coming at you raw today on Rooted with Rachel!

Here’s the book I mentioned:

The Heart of Jesus: How He Really Feels About You by Dane Ortlund

Purchase here: https://a.co/d/gDC5c4l

Follow along on my Substack or on Instagram @rachelbochat:

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rootedwithrachel.substack.com