Day 8: The Silence Before the Savior
See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction. - Malachi 4:5-6
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, 9he 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. 12When 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. 16He 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. 20And 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.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” - Luke 1:5-25
Devotional:
It's hard to admit, but I’ve prayed prayers I didn’t expect God to answer… then been cynical when that answer arrived. This probably occurs because I’ve had my fair share of unanswered prayers, but I wonder whether that says more about me than it does about God? God’s always been a prayer-answering God. In the Scriptures he answered prayers for Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Hannah, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hezekiah, Jesus, Paul and so many others. When we don’t know the stories, though, we don’t always expect God to hear us.
When Zechariah was visited by an angel with the news that he and Elizabeth would have a son, he doubted, asking, “How can this be?” God had heard their prayers, but Zechariah struggled to believe in the miraculous because of his circumstances. We can often find ourselves in Zechariah’s place, doubting God’s power or timing when life doesn’t make sense. Yet, God was patient with Zechariah, allowing him to grow in faith even as he faced the consequence of silence. This story reminds us that while doubt is human, God is patient, and He invites us to trust His promises even when we can’t see the full picture.
Reflection Questions:
Are there any promises from God that you struggle to believe?
How can you overcome doubt and trust in His faithfulness?
Prayer Prompt:
Ask God to help you believe His promises and strengthen your faith, especially when you face doubts.