‘While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared…the angel said, “ Don’t be afraid Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.” – Luke 1:11-13 (NLT)
Zechariah, a Jewish priest, was chosen to burn incense before the Most Holy Place. This was a privilege.
This priest and his wife, Elizabeth, stricken with age, shared the pain of not having children. In Jewish culture, this was considered as not having God’s blessings.
During his week of priestly service in the temple, he had been frightened half to death by a figure who appeared suddenly next to the right side of the altar of incense. “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,” the angel said to him, “and you are to give him the name John.”
The angel’s message seemed too good to be true, causing Zechariah to question the pronouncement of the answers to his prayers. The news of the coming prophet was eclipsed by doubts about his own ability to father the child the angel promised him. His age spoke more loudly than God’s promise.
My brothers, once you lay eyes on an angel of the Lord, do not fail to believe what he’s saying, that anything is possible. Zechariah blurted out his skepticism and suffered the consequences. His voice was snatched away and would not be given back until the angel’s words came to pass.
Zechariah momentarily doubted the angel’s promise of a son because of his own old age. We must believe that God keeps His promises and that physical limitations do not limit God. God sometimes accomplishes His will in unexpected ways.
From Zechariah’s human perspective, his doubts were understandable – but with God, anything is possible. Let us not make the human mistake (that we sometimes make) of trusting our intellect or experience rather than God. Remember, God’s power is not confined by a narrow perspective or bound by human limitations. Learn to trust Him completely.
Read: Matthew 14:31; Luke 1:14-23
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 78:9-16; Acts 17:1-21; I Kings 16:8-34; I Kings 17; I Kings 18:1-15
