What Do You WANT for Christmas?

Before I leave Zacharius and the preamble to the Christmas Story, I want to point out one more thing that was prominent to me in this story of the miraculous in the midst of the mundane. 

That first Christmas God gave Zacharius what he wanted.

I think Christians sometimes fall into the wrong-headed belief that God is all about us being denied the things we want.  As you may know, I grew up in a family that followed a fairly strict "holiness" pattern.  Many of my peers would describe what they believed by telling you what they did not believe in... "we don't believe in dancing... we don't believe in wearing jewelry ... we don't....".  With that lifestyle it is easy to think that if something is fun or desirable - it must be wrong.

I don't bear a grudge toward that teaching.  I don't think it warped my psyche to any great degree (although many might say that something warped it).  In fact I understand the motivation behind it and think that at it's foundation that kind of thinking was okay.

I do, however, have some difficulty at times with the idea that God would give us what we want - not just what we need but - what we want.

That's just what God did for Zacharius, the old priest that would sire John Baptist.  In Luke 1, the angel, Gabriel, told Zacharius that his "prayers have been heard"  and his wife would have a son.

A boy!

What a blessing for this old guy - he and his wife, Elizabeth, well past child-bearing years.

Now, hear is why I think God gave Zach exactly what he wanted and was praying for:  Zach had come to a place of being in sync with heaven.  God didn't alter His plan in order to fulfill Zacharius' request.  No, instead as Zach drew closer to God - he desired the things God desired.

God did not change His plan - He changed Zach.

"Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"   - Psalm 37:4

It works for us too.  As we focus more and more on Him, His desires become our own. Then we began to seek after and desire the things God wants us to desire.

His plan becomes our delight, and that makes for a delightful situation of having what you want and knowing it is within God's Plan.