Dumbstruck

"There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years." - Luke 1:5-7

The Christmas story recorded in Scripture contains quite the collection of unexpected people who received celestial news. Before the angels proclaimed glad tidings of the coming Christ in chapter two, we find Gabriel giving Zacharias glad tidings in chapter one. So confounded was he at the news that his doubt clouded his faith. After all, he was old. he and his wife both were old. Sure, God did a miracle for Abraham, but that was a long time ago!

If we were honest, many of us find these whispers of doubt in our own hearts when we consider the promises of God. Philippians 4:19 promises that God shall supply all our needs, yet we find ourselves concerned about balancing the checkbook. God promises to never leave us nor forsake us, yet often we believe that we are alone with our problems. We, like Zacharias, struggle with dumbstruck faith.

God in His mercy chose to still use Zacharias and his wife as part of the greatest miracle of the ages. He may still have mercy on us and do great wonders in our eyes today. How much the more would God do in the lives of His people if they but had more faith? What mountains could be moved? What strongholds could be conquered? How much more could we do for the one who did it all for us if we but believed in His power?

How sad that good Christian people rarely see a miracle because of weak faith. May God help us to trust in His promises and do great things as a result.