Seeking Jesus This Christmas- Day 3: Dec 3 | Zechariah and the Angel Gabriel

Read: Luke 1:11-22; 1:57-66

Key Verse: “The angel said to him, ‘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 appointed time.’” (Luke 1:19-20)

Gabriel had a huge task, and it began about six months before the birth of Christ when he was sent to visit a simple priest in Jerusalem. The task that day should have been simple – he was to tell Zechariah that his prayer for a child had been answered; he and his wife would have a son. That should have been great news, right? If you’ve been praying for something literally for decades, wouldn’t you be happy when it finally happened? But Zechariah is scared at first, then very skeptical of the angel’s message. “How can that be?” he asks. Gabriel is not too happy when Zechariah questions him. He gives Zechariah his credentials – “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.”

He lets Zechariah know he’s going to have a consequence of his unbelief: “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 appointed time.” Maybe that time spent in silence was just what Zechariah needed to prepare himself to raise John the Baptist. That’s a tall order; one that requires concentration, dedication, and determination – all characteristics Zechariah honed during his time of solitude. When John was born, he was ready for the task. He named him John, and “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.”

The main message today is that even when we’re skeptical, when we can’t see how God can do what He says He will do, we can and should trust in Him. Think about a time in your walk when God seemed to be asking the impossible yet came through and did exactly what He said He would do. Sharing these stories will both strengthen your faith and give those around you the seeds that will help their own faith grow.

Pray: Lord, I know it’s human nature to question the impossible, to be skeptical of things we do not know or cannot understand. Help us to learn to trust you, particularly in the unknown. Help us to embrace the callings you have on our lives and to joyfully obey even when it makes no sense. Help us to keep our eyes on you.