Devotional

The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and told him everything. He told him that the saviour was coming. He told him that he would have a son, and that son was to be named John, and that John would be responsible for preparing the way for the saviour. What was about to happen would be the most wonderful event, not only in all Jewish history, but in all human history. All the Jews hoped for this moment. All parents talked to their children about the messiah coming one day. That day was upon them and Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were chosen to be the parents of the forerunner to the messiah. And yet, Zechariah’s response was doubt. In his ordinary routine of life he could not imagine such wonderful things to happen, especially to him.

I think the reality is that we are all very much like Zechariah. We get so used to the humdrum routine of life, to the mundane tasks of going about our business. It is not that we don’t believe in God, but rather that we have not experienced his miracles. We know the stories of his miracles but we have not seen the reality of them in our lives. So it can be hard for us to believe that God will turn up in any miraculous way. If we believe that God truly is all powerful. If we believe that he can do amazing things. Then why would we assume that he would not do those amazing things in our lives. Zechariah limited God because of his own earthly limitations. Let us not do the same.

Brett