The purpose of this devotional is to help prepare you for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. You may do this as your own quiet time, but we would encourage you to gather some family or loved ones to go through it together.

Our passage tells the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were righteous in God’s eyes. They weren’t able to have a baby which was considered a disgrace in their culture. But Zechariah continued to serve faithfully as a priest.

One day Zechariah was chosen to burn incense in the temple, which was a high honor for a priest. This normally only happened once in their lifetime. The Bible alludes to the fact that he had long forgotten his dream of having a child. Then, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, saying he and Elizabeth would have a boy. This is my favorite part of the scripture. We read that Gabriel is very specific about this baby boy. He will be a great man that will bring many to the Lord. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is born. And his name will be John. But even after all of this was proclaimed to him (by an angel!), Zechariah doubted that this could happen. This ultimately led to him being struck mute until the birth of John.

Thoughts to think about from these verses:
1: Zechariah was a man of great faith that God saw as faithful and righteous, yet even he doubted God’s messenger because it had been so long since he had prayed for a son.
2: It’s easy to judge Zechariah for his doubt, but how many times have we lost hope in God answering our prayers? Even when God has given us promises in his Word.
3: Even in Zechariah‘s disbelief, God kept his promise to give he and Elizabeth a son. Proving again that God‘s love is always consistent, regardless of our own shortcomings.

Question of the day: What is it that you have stopped praying for because you’ve lost hope of God answering? And do you believe God still wants to answer it?
-John Tuckey, Leo Campus Worship Pastor