How would you respond if the Lord spoke to you today about something you had been praying about for years!? Would you receive it with hope and expectation or doubt and uncertainty?
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” Luke 1:11-20
Zacharias was met by the angel Gabriel while burning incense at the temple.The angel told him that God had heard his prayer. The angel announced that he and his wife were going to have a son. This child was going to be the forerunner to the Messiah. However Zacharias didn’t believe the angel because he and Elizabeth were old.
We have a tendency to pray like Zacharias did. At first we have great faith, and we are hoping and believing God for it. However, over the years, our prayers change faces a few times. We eventually come to the place that we either stop praying about it or our prayers are monotonous and obligatory. Over time, we lose hope that anything is going to change. Truth be told, at the beginning we saw ourselves capable of helping God, so we were more hopeful. Now that the years have passed, our faith in this area has gone by the wayside right along with our ability, energy, and stamina.
Zacharias became mute at one of the most crucial times in his life because he didn’t believe. The people were waiting outside to hear the news of his special experience of burning incense, but he could not speak to them at all. Zacharias lost the opportunity to tell people of the greatness of God and his amazing angelic visitation!
When we begin to doubt, we become mute in the spirit. We can’t speak boldly for God. Our faith can’t stir up someone else’s faith. We may even say the right words, but the power and the passion aren’t there because we don’t believe the words we are sharing with others.
Praise God that Elizabeth’s conception didn’t depend on Zacharias faith level; it only depended on God, and so she conceived. We have faith in a God who is unchanging and faithful. His promises are yes and amen. Our faith doesn’t make Him faithful; it just causes us to have peace and joy in times of uncertainty.
The Lord is blowing fresh winds of change, and He wants us to believe that things are going to change. Let’s partner with Him today and take Him at His word!
Thank you Lord for the change of seasons, and for your plans and purposes. Forgive us when we have doubted you. We choose to believe you and remain faithful to you!
