Luke 1:18-25 - Al Mackintosh

Zechariah asks ‘How can I be sure of this?’.  Is that a familiar question for us. How can we be sure that God is at work in our lives?

Zechariah and Elizabeth were godly people. It may not have been apparent to some, but they were suffering. With not having any children, perhaps feeling God had not blessed them. They felt concern as they grew older they had no one to look after them, or continue their family name. After Elizabeth becomes pregnant, she talks of the Lord having done this for her and taking away her disgrace. Being childless in Jewish society made her feel humiliated and hopeless, that she had somehow not received God’s blessing.

It seems reasonable for someone of Zechariah’s age to question how it is possible for Elizabeth to become pregnant, or question his ability to raise a child.  However, Zechariah’s concerns speak more loudly to him than God’s promises. Consequently, he is prevented from speaking until the appointed time when his son is born and named in accordance with God’s will.

Let us be encouraged then as we see the overarching plan of God at work through what he has done for Zechariah and Elizabeth, and subsequently their son John who would usher in another miraculous son to fulfil his purpose as the ultimate sacrifice in God’s plan to deal with our sin.

God always keeps his promises, and this is one of his greatest.