Barren to Fruitful: Women in Bible Who Overcame Infertility (Part 5)
In the final installment of this five-part series, we will conclude our studies by discussing the Principle of Praise & how it relates to overcoming barrenness of any kind in your life to allow you to bear fruit in every season. The last woman we'll study is Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah. However, her story is so interwoven with Mary's, the mother of Jesus, that we'll take a quick peek at hers too. We will also touch on each of the four principles we have previously discussed since they're all relevant to the stories of Elizabeth & Mary. As a brief recap, here are all five principles:
Principle of Promise - There are great & precious promises (2 Peter 1:4) found in God's Word. If God said He would do it, then it is done! He is completely trustworthy. In Christ, all of God's promises have been fulfilled with a resounding 'YES!' Our response is 'Amen' (a declaration of agreement in faith) to the glory of God! (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Principle of Prayer - There is power in intercessory prayer in a believer's life, especially in the proper order of spiritual authority. Spiritual authority is designed by God to be a position of influence, not control. It's a position of maturity and servanthood designed to meet the needs of others and build them up in our most holy faith. Intercessory prayer is a covering of protection and blessing.
Principle of Prophecy - Prophecy is taking hold of a Word from God, meditating on it, and declaring it until that Word becomes reality in your life. Prophecy strengthens, encourages, and edifies (builds up) the faith of believers in their knowledge of the Lord.
Principle of Presence - Cultivating the presence of the LORD in our daily lives is essential to bearing fruit. We can do this by having quiet time with Him, spending time in His Word, asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to receive the revelation of His Word, and having an awareness of His presence throughout our day.
Principle of Praise - Praise is an act of worship where we express our confidence & trust in the LORD and celebrate all the wonderful things He has done in our lives. We exalt and magnify Him {make Him bigger in our minds than any difficulties we're encountering in our lives and remember His unending faithfulness to us}.
Let's look briefly at the life of Elizabeth...
The first thing we learn about Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, is that they both were considered righteous in the eyes of God. Zechariah was part of the levitical priesthood and Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Although they were favored with God, Elizabeth remained childless and they had become aged in years.
"...there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth also was a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old." -Luke 1:5-7
However, God had other plans for Zechariah and Elizabeth and those plans included a very special son named John. The LORD sent an angel to give Zechariah this message when he was on duty at the Temple, serving as a priest before God. That day, John drew the lot to burn incense in the Holy Place of the Temple. This was a once-in-a-lifetime act of service. Once a priest was chosen to burn the incense, he would never be eligible to do so again. During this sacred time, an angel sent from God appears to him just to the right side of the Altar of Incense.
"When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord...he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born...And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Although Zechariah had trouble believing the angel and was temporarily struck deaf and unable to speak, Elizabeth did become pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months.
"'The Lord has done this for me,' she said. 'In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.'"
When Elizabeth was in the six month of her pregnancy, Mary (the mother of Jesus) received a message from the angel, Gabriel, that she would also conceive as a virgin and give birth to a Son whom she was to call Jesus.
"But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.'"
The angel then explains to Mary how the Holy Spirit will provide the seed for the conception of her Son, Jesus. He also tells her that her relative, Elizabeth, is in fact pregnant in her old age which is to be a sign to her that nothing is impossible with God.
"'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.'"
Mary immediately left to go visit Elizabeth. As she entered the home and greeted Elizabeth, the baby leapt within Elizabeth's womb at the sound of Mary's voice and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She prophesied about the baby in Mary's womb before Mary was even able to tell Elizabeth one word of the message from the angel of the Lord; therefore confirming that everything he said would surely come to pass.
"In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!"
This is such a beautiful story! God ordained everything to happen with such precision on His time table in regards to the births of John and Jesus. I hope that as you read through the stories of Elizabeth and Mary, you can see the Principles of Promise, Prayer, Prophecy, and Presence clearly at work. The angel came to both Zechariah and Mary to give them the promise of sons. The angel appeared to Zechariah during a sacred time of prayer in the Temple as he carried out the duty of burning incense to the LORD. The angel gives Zechariah a prophecy that his son, John, "will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord...he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born...And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Gabriel also prophesies to Mary that her Son "will be the called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; His kingdom will never end."
When Mary enters the home, Elizabeth immediately prophecies to Mary that she is the mother of her Lord. She knew Mary was supernaturally pregnant before she could even tell Elizabeth about the visitation from the angel, Gabriel. In all of this, the presence of the LORD is clearly tangible.
The last principle we will discuss is the Principle of Praise. This principle is beautifully demonstrated in Mary's "Song of Praise" found in Luke 1:46...
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He took notice of His lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and He has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear Him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped His servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For He made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
The biblical definition of praise is to sing or tell of God's attributes and blessings with a spirit of thanksgiving and exultation. Praise is strikingly evident in Mary's spontaneous song to the LORD. We know the Holy Spirit was present because of Elizabeth's response to Mary's visit. As soon as John leapt in her womb, the Holy Spirit flowed through her to give her a word of knowledge that Mary was pregnant with the Son of the Most High God. As the Holy Spirit flowed in that room, Mary began to praise the LORD! She praised Him for not overlooking a simple, impoverished servant girl who had nothing to offer Him as King, yet through her womb, she would give birth to His Son whose Kingdom will never end. She knew that she had favor with God and she proclaimed in her song that "all generations will call me blessed." Next, she turned to praising the LORD's attributes. She praised His holiness, mercy, strength, insight, provision, help, and faithfulness. She concluded with reaffirming that He has kept His promise to Abraham and his children.
So, in closing, how does the Principle of Praise relate to overcoming infertility in your life so that you can bear much fruit? Praise is a powerful weapon for believers. It is an act of worship that puts all of your confidence and trust in the faithfulness of the LORD. It's an intimate time of adoration; a time where we can pour out our love and thanksgiving. A beautiful picture of this type of worship is found in the seventh chapter of Luke - the woman who came and sat at the feet of Jesus to wash His feet with her tears.
She was a disreputable woman; the type other women didn't associate with in fear that their reputation would be tarnished too. She was isolated and ashamed. She most likely had been a prostitute or engaged in some other type of nefarious activity. Yet, she still came to Jesus. She sought Him out. She entered into the home where He was dining with men of the Pharisee-sect. These ultra-religious men were self-righteous and condemning. The exact people Jesus rebuked the most. The fact that she was able to enter Simon the Pharisee's home is a miracle! Unassumingly, she sat behind Jesus where He reclined to eat the meal He was invited to. As she sat at His feet, she began to weep. As tears of repentance flowed, they splashed against His dirty, dusty feet caked with evidence of the nomadic life He lived. She then realized no one in Simon's household offered Jesus the customary feet-washing ritual when He entered the home. She saw it as a humble act she could display to show Him her thanksgiving. She took her long hair (the most precious part of a woman's beauty in ancient times) and used it as a towel to wipe His feet clean with the water from her flowing tears. After she had successfully cleaned His feet, she began to anoint them with very expensive perfume she had brought and kissed His feet in adoration. This woman poured out everything she had in worship to Jesus. She sat cloaked in humility praising Jesus for the forgiveness, love, and acceptance He extended to her. (Luke 7:36-50)
It's a beautiful picture of thanksgiving and praise. We may not be able to physically sit at the feet of Jesus and worship Him like she did, but we can praise Him with a heart of pure devotion.
There are four root words in Hebrew which denote praise which I want to take a quick look at:
Zamar - to make music to God; celebrate God in music & song; play an instrument in praise to God
Halal - to be boastful in the LORD; to shine; to praise
Yadah - to revere or worship with extended hands
Shabach - to praise in a public context; to adore (love deeply)
Other Hebrew words denoting praise come from these root words and mean the following in regards to praising the LORD:
•song of praise (hymn)
•extolling praise (enthusiastic praise)
•offerings of thanksgiving
•songs of thanksgiving sung by a choir
•melodies of praise
•dancing as an act of praise; a token of joyousness
As you can see from the list above, the act of praising and thanking God usually involves music. Our Creator designed us this way. He is musical and so are we! However, there are other ways you can praise and celebrate the LORD in your daily life. Here are some ideas I came up with, but I encourage you to really think about your personality and giftings to find some ways that feel true to who you are and how you relate to the Lord. Get creative and see what you can come up with!
Ways You Can Offer Praise to God
•Start a Praise/Thanksgiving Journal where you write what you're thankful for and then read it to God during your prayer time
•Read through the Psalms
•Meditate on God’s faithfulness in your life during quiet moments in your day {do this instead of scrolling mindlessly on your phone}
•Worship God together with fellow believers in a corporate setting {for example in church on Sunday and/or in a small group setting during the week}
•Sing songs of praise to Him throughout the day
•Thank Him & praise Him during your prayer time
•Tell others about times in your life when God did marvelous and miraculous things (share your testimony)
•Dance, sing, & shout in joy and celebration during times of worship
•If musically-inclined, write a piece of music to the Lord and sing it or play your instrument to Him
Praise is an act of worship where we express our confidence and trust in the LORD and celebrate all the wonderful things He has done in our lives. We exalt and magnify Him {make Him bigger in our minds} than any difficulties we're encountering in our lives and remember His unending faithfulness to us. We can praise Him through song, dance, written word, prayer, and so forth. I hope you begin to consistently utilize the Principle of Praise in your walk with the Lord. May your life begin to overflow with the fruit of the Spirit. As we wrap up this series on fruitfulness, remember that it is always Your Father's will for you to bear much fruit for His glory and great pleasure (John 15:8).
Scriptures on Praising the LORD
Psalm 147:1 - "Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God, for it is pleasant and praise is comely.”
Psalm 146:2 - “I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”
Psalm 40:3 - “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in Him.”
Psalm 98:4 - “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music..."
Psalm 100 - “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness, Come before Him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.”
Ephesians 5:19 - “…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.”
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