While we are sleeping...

I am intrigued by the God's interactions with the priest Zachariah in Luke 1:8-13:

It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the alter of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed with fear. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard...

The angel tells him that he and his wife are about to have a son in their old age, and tells about the mighty ministry the boy will have and gives instructions for the ritual purity of his upbringing. "Cool!" Except that wasn't his response. His ACTUAL response was to argue...

Zechariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man, and my wife is an old woman."

But the angel said [utterly flabbergasted?] "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time-- God's time."

Lots of stuff here. Have you ever argued with God? Bad move. (See also Jonah...)

And notice that the angel appeared while the congregation was outside praying? It was a group thing. A group of people were praying as he offered the incense. But WHAT were they praying-- that God WOULD accept the offering? That God would accept the PERSON making the offering? Tradition tells us that the priest who went in alone to make the offering would have a rope tied to his ankle so his corpse could be drug back out in case God struck him dead. So were some of them praying for him, personally? And God answered their prayers for him by giving him a divine encounter? Do we as a congregation pray for our Christian leaders as they minister? That they would have a divine encounter, right there at the Sunday morning pulpit? Can we start?

In my own life years ago, I liked a girl. She had caught my attention, and was definitely into me, but I had just been through a breakup not long before and so I decided that it was too soon to be asking her out. So I decided to wait a week to ask. HAHAHAHAHAH! I found out later that the day I made this conscious decision- to wait a whole week, her parents and grandmother had been fasting and praying for a husband for her. (Our 25 anniversary will be this October.)

I also notice that this divine encounter, this answered prayer of a son to be born- occurred while he was just doing his job. He was living his ordinary life, doing exactly what God called him to do. He wasn't alone on a mountaintop, seeking God. (Although that isn't a bad thing.) He wasn't on a ministry retreat with the other priests, seeking God's will for the ministry. He was at work. On his jobsite, just living his life before God. He was fulfilling his mission, his calling, his function. And while he was plugging along, God showed up.

I am thinking of Jacob, just living his life and working the land. This part of his story is found in Genesis 25:62-67:

Isaac was living in the Negev. He had just come back from a visit to Beer Lahai Roi. In the evening he went out into the field; while meditating he looked up and saw camels coming. When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel and asked the servant, "Who is that man out in the field, coming toward us?"

"That is my master."

She took the veil and covered herself.

After the servant told Isaac the whole story of the trip, Isaac took Rebekah into the tent of his mother Sarah. He married Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her. So Isaac found comfort after his mother's death.

Isaac wasn't on the hunt. He wasn't bar hopping, and didn't have all the latest dating apps on his phone. His traditionalist father HAD been trying to arrange a marriage for him but who knew how THAT was going to turn out! So he was just waiting. And living his life. And working. And suddenly, he looked up, and there she was...

Adam had a similar experience. No suitable helper for Adam was found, so God decided to make one for him. Genesis 2:21-22 tells us:

GOD put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. GOD then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.

God brought her to him. Actually PRESENTED her to Adam. I wonder, did God and Eve walk up to Adam, holding hands and God presented her hand to Adam, much like a Father giving his daughter away at the Alter? I imagine so.

God made these arrangements... while Adam was sleeping. He wasn't striving. He wasn't searching. He was minding his own business. He was fulfilling his Mission to tend the Garden. And while he was sleeping, God acted. And fulfilled his joy.

So perhaps my advice to the unmarried it this: Stop striving. Live your life. Find your calling. Be who you are. Fulfill your purpose. And maybe, in the middle of your ordinary every day life, you will look up from your meditation and find yourself face to face with God's answer to all those prayers.

Sometimes answered, not while we are Striving, but while we are sleeping.

Adam and Eve