DEVOTIONAL
As Christians we are called to guard our hearts from doubt and unbelief, for it can rise up in the hearts of even the most faithful of all Christians. The Lord, as a way of reminder, has preserved the historical record of his servant Zacharias for us to read and understand. Zacharias was called into the priesthood in a time of utter darkness in Judea. King Herod, a tyrant, ruled with an iron fist and had no regard for anyone. He was exacting funds from the Jewish people through the heavy taxation in order to build extravagant buildings. He was more concerned about building his kingdom, and he openly and unashamedly held control over the temple and the priesthood for his own political purposes. He sought to elevate himself as a supreme leader in the eyes of the people as if he was God, Himself.
The Scriptures tell us that Zacharias, under this militant ruler, walked blamelessly in the commandments and the requirements of the Lord. He was a man of integrity, one who elevated the law of God to its proper position and disciplined himself to keep even the smallest of its letter. He was married to a faithful wife named Elizabeth who was barren and they were advanced in years. They both sought desperately for a child, but had accepted the realization that this would not be granted to them during their lifetime.
Now when the time came for Zacharias to go into the temple to perform his priestly service before God, all the people were praying for him outside. The scriptures tell us that while he was burning incense before the Lord that an angel appeared to him, standing to the right of the alter. The appearance of the angel caused fear to grip him, but the angel told him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.” At that moment unbelief entered into the heart of Zacharias and he said, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words.”
Now Zacharias, according to the text of scripture, was a faithful believer. He trusted in God most high and was schooled in the sacred truths of God’s holy Commandments. His desire and delight was in the office of his priesthood and yet the great sin of unbelief entered into his heart, even in the presence of an angel. As we see in the life of Zacharias, unbelief in Gods provisions is something that each of us have to battle with during different seasons of our lives. Maybe someone has lost a loved one during this time and are saying to themselves, “How can I continue on?” Maybe there are some who have lost their jobs, or maybe just the fear of the coronavirus has made you question the faithfulness of God. It is in these very times when it seems as if our faith is wavering that we need to trust in the promises of the Lord. His word tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us. As Christians, ambassadors of truth, we’re not moved by merely emotions or feelings, but by God’s revelation of Himself which has been decreed in His inerrant word. The Lord is faithful even when we are not faithful, and this too we see in Zacharias’s life. For though Zacharias didn’t believe, his wife still brought forth a child whose name was John. Come now Christian, for the same God who holds the universe in its place, is the same today, yesterday, and forever. The Lord is more than capable of helping us during the times of our greatest struggles.
“ In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias,” Luke 1:5 NASBS
Luke 1:5 NASBS