Psalm 2:11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
When was the last time God promised something to you? How did you receive it?
Zechariah was a priest in the Lord’s temple. He was a devout man and so was his wife, so much so that the Bible says, “They followed all the Lord’s commands and regulations perfectly.” – Luke 1:6
And yet when the angel of the Lord appeared to him with child-bearing news, he did not receive it by faith. He questioned it with unbelief.
How did a man who was so religious doubt God’s promise? Surely he had read about Isaac’s birth multiple times, maybe even knew it by heart.
When God promised a son to Abraham, he fell face down and laughed because biologically he and his wife had passed the age of childbearing. But Abraham did have not just one son, but many sons and daughters. He, indeed, became the father of many nations as God promised.
Yet, here was Zechariah doubting an exact replica of a promise!
Tradition may help us keep all of God’s commandments. But it takes a lot more than tradition to receive God’s promises by faith – it takes a relationship with our Creator!
A strong relationship with God will produce words of faith because knowing Him is different from reading about Him. And words are powerful! Even the fulfillment of the promises of God over our lives depends on the words uttered in reaction to them.
So when Zechariah doubted God’s promises, he was made dumb. He couldn’t speak and it was so until the child was born. God knew that Zechariah would talk himself out of the promise with his doubting attitude. And John the Baptist (Zechariah’s son) was crucial in setting the stage for the Lord Jesus.
Have you doubted a promise from God? Do you believe it is not possible in the natural for God’s promise to come to pass? Remember, God does not work in the natural. He is a supernatural God! Believe His promises and speak words of faith over them.
