‘Can This Really Be?’: Zechariah
Read: Luke 1:11-23
Have you ever prayed for something and assumed God had decided not to grant you your request? When enough time goes by, it’s easy to have such thoughts.
Zechariah had asked God for a child, but he hadn’t received one, and he and his wife were now too old to have children. He worked as a priest, serving God faithfully, and probably decided years earlier that God wouldn’t grant his request.
So when the angel Gabriel showed up one day at the temple, announcing to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a baby, the old priest had a moment of disbelief. Then the angel said that Zechariah’s son, John, would grow to become the prophet who would announce the arrival of the Messiah. That was a lot to take in, given the tall, powerful form filling the room with light.
“How shall I know this?” he asked. “I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
A reasonable question, one might think. Zechariah and his wife were old. But the priest’s doubt cost him his ability to speak during the time of his wife’s pregnancy. God was going to show the people that nothing was impossible when His power showed up.
And everything in the angel’s message came true. When John was born, Zechariah’s speech returned. He promptly praised God.
“The Lord . . . has visited and redeemed his people,” Zechariah exclaimed (Luke 1:68).
Reflect
Have you noticed that God’s timing rarely lines up with your preferences, but He has big things in mind if you wait on Him?
Pray about It
Ask God for the wisdom and ability to rely on His timing.