We pray and seek the Lord diligently as we ask him to make our dreams come true. What would we do if our dream suddenly came true? Sometimes it is hard to handle adversity. A golf buddy of mine often complained when he hit a bad shot after a good shot, “I couldn’t stand the prosperity.” Good point. Can we?
Like Zechariah, we are tempted to ask God, “Are you sure?” For the last few days, in our devotional study of the Advent narratives in Luke, we have been asking, “Are you ready?” If you stay ready, you never have to get ready. Then it happened. God granted the desires of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s hearts. And Zechariah said, “How can I be sure?”
God must have a sense of humor to deal with us. Gabriel seems to say, “Well I am an angel. God told me. I came to tell you. Excuse me, but what is the question?” To confirm the truth and confront Zechariah’s doubt, Gabriel took Zechariah’s voice away for over nine months.
What about the people who were praying with us and for us? Zechariah’s prayer partners realized something had delayed him in the temple. He motioned to them that he had seen a vision. They believed. When elderly Elizabeth conceived, she gave glory to God. “The Lord has done this for me.” The pain of her childlessness was taken away.
The Psalmist captured the spirit of this story with a simple statement that hangs on the wall outside my office. “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!” (Psalm 126:3). Do not be afraid to believe the blessing God has given you. Give thanks to the Lord. For he is good!
