I was reading in Luke this morning and this story stood out to me. Luke 1:8-20:
“One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Gabriel’s response to Zechariah’s question is amazing, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!” “For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” To Gabriel it is asinine to have any other response but to believe. Gabriel knows who he is, where he came from and what he is doing. I would like to suggest that we are to have the same perspective as Gabriel.
When Peter started to sink after walking on the water Jesus said in Matthew 14:31, “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
In Mark 4 Jesus calms the storm after being awakened by the terrified disciples. His response to them in verse 40 was, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Gabriel said, ”It was he(God) who sent me to bring you this good news!” Zechariah wanted a son but because he was old he thought it was impossible. Not only was God going to give him a son but John the Baptist, “the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.'” That is good news! That was his dream x10.
As we seek out vision and purpose and God speaks these words of truth that stimulate epic dreams, don’t be afraid to believe what God says. Don’t be afraid to believe what he says you are capable of. Don’t be afraid to believe, that what God has called you to, he has given you the ability to accomplish. Gabriel said, “For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
“Everything is possible for those who believe.” – Jesus