"While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense alter. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he was him.
But 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. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly."
Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years."
Then the angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn't believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time."
Luke 1:11-20
I recently read through the book of Luke and this passage struck a cord in my soul. It made me wonder how many times I've questioned a word from the Lord like Zechariah questioned the message Gabriel delivered directly from THE ALMIGHTY himself. Gabriel stood in the very presence of God – then God sent him to bring good news to Zechariah. The news was that Zechariah's barren wife, even in her old age, would conceive a child – the child would be John the Baptist!
I'd like to think that if God sent me an angel to answer one of my prayer requests I wouldn't question what he said. Unfortunately, I can't make that promise. I'm a disobedient sinner by nature. When I was a child, I disobeyed things my parents told me to do or not to do. Even as an adult, I often choose my ways over God's – resulting in me intentionally going against the word of God.
Zechariah's unbelief didn't come without consequences – he was unable to speak until his wife gave birth to their son. My actions and unbelief have also caused consequences in my life – my decisions have added problems and caused alot of stress that I may not have had otherwise. I wonder how much smoother life would be if I always took God at his word!!
In Numbers 23: 19, it says: "God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" So why do we question God? He's trustworthy, He's faithful, He causes all things to work together for good – even during our times of unbelief.
My problem has been a matter of control – I don't want someone telling me what to do, even if it's in my best interest. I'm constantly learning to release control and look to God, who sees the end from the beginning and who had good plans for my future.
In the end, God fulfilled his promise to Zechariah – his wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy – who became the man Gabriel said he would be!
I'm sure there will be plenty more times in which my unbelief gets the best of me. But I serve an awesome God who continually enables me to overcome my unbelief!
“I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24
