I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.
When the angel told Zechariah he would have a son, he couldn’t believe it! How could it be true?
The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
Zechariah received good news from God. But he couldn’t believe it! Therefore, he couldn’t speak until the day of John’s birth!
He was struck speechless because he didn’t believe the good news. This seems harsh, but wait!
Haven’t we received good news from God? Not from an angel but from God’s only Son! The good news of Jesus!
Yet very often we are speechless when it comes to sharing His message of joy and hope.
Unlike Zechariah’s silence, ours is voluntary and self-imposed! His was a punishment. Ours is deliberate.
Yet, isn’t both his and ours caused by the same thing – a lack of faith in God’s message?
Do we truly believe the good news of Jesus or are we speechless?
Zecharaiah asks for confirmation. "How can I be sure of this."
ReplyDeleteEver heard people use that term today? they have a feeling that God wants them to do something so they ask or "wait" for confirmation.
I wonder about that idea. You'd think if you saw an angel you wouldn't need confirmation, but Zechariah asked - and was given a burden.
So when we sense that God wants us to do something, and it isn't against His word but in accordance with it (the litmus test for these feelings or sensing God wants us to do something is His written word.) Should we question, hesitate, wait for confirmation, or act on His guiding and prompting?