GROOVE OR GRAVE?
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Luke 1:5-7
The difference between a groove and a grave is the depth!
The story of Zachariah, recorded in Luke 1, is an illustration of what happens when we get into a groove.
Zachariah was a good man, faithful in all his religious observances, serving God as a priest in the temple, but in a groove of routine, monotony and expecting nothing from God because he was disappointed – with God.
He was resting in his groove. He had spent his whole life making his groove more comfortable – a pillow under his head, padding for the hard places, Coke and chips beside him so that he would never get hungry or thirsty, just existing and waiting to die.
Suddenly an angel appeared, standing above him on the edge of his groove. Zack looked up, terrified and a little irritated. Who was this intruder, rattling his cage when all he wanted was to be left alone in his “comfort zone”? The angel tried to rouse his interest with startling news. “Guess what, Zachariah! Your wife is going to have a baby!!”
“What! You must be crazy. We’re too old and it’s too late. Just go away and leave me alone.” He turned over in his groove and looked the other way. The angel tried again. “I am Gabriel, Zack, sent from God to tell you the good news. It’s going to make you jump for joy.” Zack sighed. “Yes, whatever.”
“Zack,” the angel said sharply, “I’m going to zip your mouth for nine months because you refuse to believe me. That’ll give you time to think about what I have said.” Zachariah opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.
How like Zachariah many of us are! We are believers, walking with God, serving Him and doing all the right things but expecting nothing and believing nothing. We are stuck in our groove. Not even an angelic visitor would move us. We’re immovable and dumbstruck, lying there, waiting for our groove to become a grave!
Becoming a dad left Zack no time to stay in his groove. He was forever cured of his “groove” mentality.
Getting out of your groove is also a healing experience. Why was Zack in a groove? He was living in disappointment. For years he had prayed for a son but it seemed that God was deaf to his request. Now he and Elizabeth were too old, it was too late, and his heart was sore. “Too late,” he thought, but not for God. God not only needed a “John the Baptist”. He also wanted to heal Zachariah’s broken heart.
Are you in a groove of disappointment, hurt, emotional pain? You’re stuck – in a broken relationship, in a web of helplessness and hopelessness, or in a vacuum of unfulfilled dreams. What will it take to get you out of your groove? God has a plan for you – seek Him, trust Him, obey Him and see what He will do. (LAC)