"Come Deliver Us
Come Deliver Us
He will come, in mightiness and power with watchmen on the tower, He will come deliver us
He will come, His sword aloft and blazing, resplendent and amazing, He will come deliver us"
These beautiful words are spoken in the second scene of Act 1. It takes place at the temple with Zacharias choosing the lot and seeing the angel Gabriel.
So....my pondering of this scene....What was the difference between Zacharias and Mary
...Angel appears...
Fear not
Thy wife shall bear a son
Thou shalt call his name John
He shall make ready a people prepared for the Lord
....Zacharias questioning....
Whereby shall I know this?
I am an old man
my wife well stricken in years
....Angel appears....
Fear not
Thou shalt conceive in the womb, a son
Thou shalt call his name Jesus
He shall reign over the house of Jaco forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end
....Mary's questioning...
How can this be?
Zacharias is struck dumb.
Mary is blessed with understanding and agrees.
I do not know Mary, I do not know Zacharias, Nor do I consider myself a scriptorian. But I have a few thoughts about why. I can be completely off base but my thoughts have helped me understand my own hearts and why questions.
As we know, the scriptures are meant to be "types" of Christ and every story in the scriptures is meant to teach us something about Him. Pretty ironic then that Gabriel says almost the exact thing to Zacharias as he does to Mary. So why the great punishment for Zacharias?....he just asked a question right?...and so did Mary.
What about this: Zacharias doubted.....not so profund I know, and yet...isn't it. The scriptures tell us that the angel condemed Zacharias not for asking a question but for doubting. How can this be? I am old and so is my wife. He does not believe the angel's words. He doubts even though he is standing, or kneeling before an angel.
So what about Mary? Can we be lead to believe that she did not doubt. Can we believe that she asked her question purely out of a desire to know how this was going to happen seeing as she was not married and was a virgin? I believe so. I believe that Mary heard the words, wondered at them and then asked a question, a question seeking for more information, not a question desiring to disbelieve. And then she closes with the beautiful words....Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy words. With understanding she now is ready to do God's will.
So lets look at the questions: whereby shall I know this?
AND how can this be?
my own rephrasing: how will I know that what you say is true?
AND how is this possible?
These two questions are entirely different questions....one is seeking for information, one is asking for a sign (poor man, he got one)
So, how does this apply to Me Myself and I. Well, for one thing I think I'll be pretty carefully how I word any questions that I might need to ask an angel :). But seriously, even in my prayers can I be more careful in the language that I use when talking to God. Can I be more faithful in tone and reverence and more obedient and thoughtful in the questions. I know I can. I truly believe that the Lord wants me to ask questions. He wants to me seek him. "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you." He wants me to look and seek and ask. Questions aren't the problem. My heart is the problem. Am I doubting or faithful. Am I looking for a sign before I jump in with both feet, or am I seeking for more information to know if it is God's will.
I love Mary's example. What a blessed woman. (I'll talk more about Mary later)
Come deliver us
Come deliver us
I love this prayerful song. It is my favorite song in the whole play...and not just because those Male vocals are amazing opposite the women, but because I have this prayer in my heart. I need the Savior to Come....to come and deliver us...In mightiness and power, with watchment on the tower, His sword aloft and blazing, resplendent and amazing. He will come deliver us. I need Him to come and deliver me every day and I truly desire Him to come again and deliver the whole world with His power.
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