400 years of silence informed his perspectives. There had been no forthcoming promises in his time, nor in his father’s time or even in his grandfather’s time. Prayers had been prayed during those interminable years with no recognizable answer. No word from Heaven had graced his memory. Hope and expectancy had grown dim. It was only the old stories told and retold that kept Zacharias tethered to his faith.
Have you ever felt kinship with Zacharias? Prayers prayed. Expectant hope. Endless waiting. No answers. And life moves on in ritualistic obedience. Moreover, faith wavers in the waiting and fear holds you in its grip. If you are in this place, lean in and learn from Zacharias’ story.
When the End is the Beginning
Zacharias now stood on the cusp of old age. His whitening beard leant credence to a long lived life. Aged lines of care and worry etched his worn face. Coming from the priestly line of Abijah, Zacharias had lived his life within the confines of the duties allotted to him. He had lived in careful obedience to all the regulations. His story is told in the first chapter of the book of Luke.
The lot had fallen to Zacharias to burn incense. It was a high day for Zacharias. A cherished duty that, according to scholars, only fell to an individual once in a lifetime. This act of burning incense in the temple was to be a true expression of worship to God. An acknowledgement that God heard and answered prayers.
As the heavy curtain fell shut behind him, Zacharias entered the room with trepidation. Silence had fallen on the crowd in the outer court when his hand had drawn back the curtain to enter. The crowd represented burdens and prayers of a vast number of people and families. Prayers that he, Zacharias, was to take before the God of Heaven. This duty seemed a heavy burden to Zacharias in the face of all his own unanswered prayers.
The people’s voices joined him in prayer as Zachariah carried the specially crafted incense toward the altar. It was a distinct combination of fragrance only for use on the Altar of Incense. The smell permeated the small room and Zachariah felt a sense of peace envelop him.
Fear instead of Faith
However, as Zachariah placed the incense on the altar, this sense of peace was shattered by a movement to the right of the altar. Terrified and filled with fear, Zachariah’s pulse stuttered and then resumed at an alarming rate.
Words fell from the strangers’ lips as Zachariah stood in the grip of fear.
“Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard.”
Luke 1:13
The angels’ words swirled about him, like the incense he had just offered. He was unable to grasp the importance of what was being said. Answered prayer. A life of worry and fear replaced with joy and gladness. His wife, Elizabeth, to bear a son.
As the angel finished speaking, questions filled his mind. There was just no way all this could happen. The doubts that had churned through his mind during those long years of waiting now burst forth as a question riddled with fear and unbelief.
Though Zacharias had ceased to expect an answer, God had not forgotten the prayers he had prayed.
And dear friend, God has heard your prayer, though you cannot see God working. God comes to Zacharias when he is depleted of hope and expectancy. He will come to you, as well. God does not reject us for our questions and doubts, but tenderly turns our hearts back to Him.
Zacharias listens in amazement as the angel validates his credentials. This indeed was Gabriel who stood in the presence of God.
When Doubts Flee
In the darkness of his doubts, Zacharias had overlooked the ability of his God. Furthermore, he let his fears and doubts define his faith. His circumstances had dimmed his vision of the Divine.
What about you? Have you allowed your circumstance to cloud your vision of the Almighty God? Are you letting your fear and doubt redefine your faith?
Gabriel’s reprimand and subsequent judgment came as a mercy in Zacharias’ life. His inability to speak became the step needed to revolutionize his faith. Outwardly, he was the same elderly priest, but inwardly God was working to revitalize his spirit.
Zacharias had faced years of silence. However, with speech silenced in this time of quiet waiting Zacharias’ faith began to flourish. His communion with God became paramount and his vision of God was clarified. Doubts fled in the face of the Omnipotent God.
When Zacharias definitively declared the name of his newborn son in concurrence with the angel’s pronouncement, his tongue was loosed. Read the account in Luke 1:57-80. His words were no longer corroded with doubts and questions. In fact, Scripture states that he praised God. (1:64)
Transformed Faith
In those months of silence God had been working on this priest who had been so plagued with doubt. It wasn’t rejection from God that Zacharias received. Instead, God moved toward Zacharias with a love-filled purpose. As God gifted him a new type of silent waiting Zacharias began to let God inform his perspectives. His fears were eradicated, and his faith flourished.
Moreover, Zacharias recognized that God’s plan was bigger and better than his own. When his tongue was loosed, Zacharias testified to the fulfillment of God’s promises.
What doubts are you wrestling? Have you lost the hope that God will show up in your life?
It is only as our perception aligns with God’s truth that our faith will be transformed. Furthermore, it is in this vision correction that we will be delivered from our fears.
God wants to give to you a life free of fear that dominates and defeats. (1:74) When fear of the future overwhelms turn to the God who is already there. Moreover, when fear of failure or inadequacy bombard your heart turn to the Sufficient One. There are a myriad of fears that we will face in this life, yet through them we can know the sustaining strength of God.
In this Christmas season take time for solitude. Let God speak in the quiet moments. He will correct your vision and ferret out the fears that hold you captive. Listen with an ear ready to hear what the Spirit says. Then be prepared to acknowledge that God is abundantly able to work in every situation. In doing so your faith will flourish.
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