Luke 1:5-20
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 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. 20 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.”
Psalm 32:10
God's Love Surrounds Those Who Trust Him
10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed is He Who Trusts in the LORD
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Revelations 22:6
The LORD's Words are Trustworthy and True
6 The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."
I love the story of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, who were childless, but had prayed and prayed for his wife and him to have a child...Both of them were righteous in the eyes of the LORD...And now, Zechariah, who was a priest had his lot chosen...He would be the one to go to the alter and burn incense...It would be an honor for Zachariah to be chosen...At the sacred place at the altar of incense, the angel Gabriel appears...Sometimes God sends His angels to show His servants things that will be done, or things that will soon take place...The angel has come down to tell Zechariah that God has answered his prays for a child...Prayers do work, and Zechariah and Elizabeth had their prayers answered...But Zechariah and Elizabeth was old, and for one reason or another he questions the angel Gabriel...Zechariah asks Gabriel “How can I be sure of this?...I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” ...Zechariah, the priest, standing at the holy altar burning incense wants proof from the angel that his prayers were answered...
Trusting in the LORD seems like such an easy thing to do for believers...But that is not always the case for even believers...Sometimes trusting the LORD is a hard thing to do...
Zechariah and his wife were righteous before the LORD, and now he was in the holy place of the altar of incense, where one might feel the presence of God or His angels...Yet, Zechariah does not quite believe the angel, when he is told of things that will soon take place...He has (I would think dutifully and sincerely prayed) and now the prayers were being answered in a sacred and holy place...Sometimes when we just need to shut up and simply trust Him, and (yet) this can be a very hard thing to do...And shut up is what Gabriel does to the one is going to be a new father...Gabriel quiets the tongue of Zechariah until his new son is born...
I actually think Zechariah trusted the LORD and had faith in the LORD, but we as man we still have our doubts and we like proof...So I take heart in Zechariah's story...The LORD's words are trustworthy and true...Zechariah would have a child that would grow up and be a Baptizer, named John the Baptist...He was the messenger for Jesus, our LORD and Savior...