Luke 1:67-80
The unbelieving priest. That sounds like something that is completely opposite of what it is supposed to be. Zechariah was the religious leader who was to lead the nation in the worship of God, yet his belief faltered. Why? In Luke 1:5-25 God sent an angel to tell Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son. Up to this point they were childless. From the text we understand that their inability to have children had been a matter of prayer. So when the angel announced that their prayer had been answered, Zechariah’s faith wavered. He wanted to know how they could have a child since they were old. All Zechariah could see was the human physical impossibility and not faith in the all powerful God despite the seeming impossibility. Have you ever been there? You know, the situation that you have prayed about and nothing changes. We may start out believing but when the answers do not come we easily move from discouragement to disillusionment and perhaps even distance from God. Remember, just because God does not provide the answer in our timeframe, does not mean that God is not at work or capable to work. Zechariah seemed to allow the dark cloud of despair to distort his view of God and doubt His word. Because of his unbelief the angel Gabriel pronounced God’s judgment on Zechariah. He would be silent, unable to speak until the birth of his son (Luke 1:20). Following later in the chapter Luke records that people had to use gestures to communicate with Zechariah (61-63) leading us to believe that he was deaf and mute. Imagine, at least nine months in the solitary confinement of your own thoughts. It seems that God used that time to do His work in old Zechariah’s heart, because the first words out of his mouth were praise to God (68). The life of Zechariah reminds us that we must live by faith believing that God is at work to save us from our sin and self centered pity and trust Him. If you find yourself in the doldrums of despair try praising God for His past and present work. It will change your focus and reignite your faith.
For more see LUKE or SONGS OF CHRISTMAS
The unbelieving priest. That sounds like something that is completely opposite of what it is supposed to be. Zechariah was the religious leader who was to lead the nation in the worship of God, yet his belief faltered. Why? In Luke 1:5-25 God sent an angel to tell Zechariah that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son. Up to this point they were childless. From the text we understand that their inability to have children had been a matter of prayer. So when the angel announced that their prayer had been answered, Zechariah’s faith wavered. He wanted to know how they could have a child since they were old. All Zechariah could see was the human physical impossibility and not faith in the all powerful God despite the seeming impossibility. Have you ever been there? You know, the situation that you have prayed about and nothing changes. We may start out believing but when the answers do not come we easily move from discouragement to disillusionment and perhaps even distance from God. Remember, just because God does not provide the answer in our timeframe, does not mean that God is not at work or capable to work. Zechariah seemed to allow the dark cloud of despair to distort his view of God and doubt His word. Because of his unbelief the angel Gabriel pronounced God’s judgment on Zechariah. He would be silent, unable to speak until the birth of his son (Luke 1:20). Following later in the chapter Luke records that people had to use gestures to communicate with Zechariah (61-63) leading us to believe that he was deaf and mute. Imagine, at least nine months in the solitary confinement of your own thoughts. It seems that God used that time to do His work in old Zechariah’s heart, because the first words out of his mouth were praise to God (68). The life of Zechariah reminds us that we must live by faith believing that God is at work to save us from our sin and self centered pity and trust Him. If you find yourself in the doldrums of despair try praising God for His past and present work. It will change your focus and reignite your faith.
For more see LUKE or SONGS OF CHRISTMAS
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