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Luke 1:18-20
Zacharias questioned the angel, and maybe rightfully so as a human with his understanding as that in the human nature, but even so, he questioned the authority of God in the message delivered by Gabriel. The response of the angel is recorded in Luke 1:19-20 (NKJV) declaring, “19And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
The punishment given to Zacharias was that he was unable to speak until the baby was born. This must have been devastating to Zacharias as he and his wife had prayed for a child and now being given this message by Gabriel, an angel of God, Zacharias was unable to shout for joy and sing in celebration of his prayers being answered and that now he and his wife would have a child.
This is an example of how inclined we are in our human nature to doubt God.
Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6), and yet Satan presented himself in the form of doubt in the mind of Zacharias. This is a great example of how quickly Satan can creep into our minds in the form of doubt or worry, amongst other things. We must put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6) each day and prepare for battle against the wiles of the devil. God is faithful and will not let us fall if we will keep our focus on Him as the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” The way of escape is to keep our focus on Jesus, who has already defeated Satan for us!
Dear Lord,
In this great lesson of prayer being answered, we also see how easy it is for Satan to creep into our lives unexpectedly and cause us to fall. Thank You for forgiveness in Jesus as we are prone to make these mistakes and be in need of Your forgiving love for us. Please help us to be strong and to put on the whole armor of God each day as we seek Your will for our lives and be to the praise of Your glory. In Jesus name I pray, amen.