Hearing God's HeartSample

You will be mute, and not able to speak until the day these things take place


Zacharias was struck deaf (verse 62) and dumb by the angel as a consequence of his unbelief of the divine message. The result was that Zacharias was unable to communicate his unbelief by word of mouth. God gives utterance to those who have something to communicate, and this is not just a matter of information, it is a matter of the right heart state.

When we speak, we communicate our heart state, whether it be in conversation or in preaching. But the angel also struck him deaf, so that he would be shut in to think about the last things that he had heard - those mighty promises, spoken in purest faith by the angel. The last thing that Zacharias heard was the voice of God communicating faith, and in the silence imposed on him, that seed word was producing faith.

Just as the army of Israel marched in silence around Jericho for seven days, so Zachariah was for 9 months shut in with God and His prophetic word. At last, Israel shouted and the walls fell flat. Not the loudness of the shout, but the faith in the voice of the people, made the walls fall down. So, too, Zacharias confessed the truth the angel had spoken, by writing it on a tablet, and the result was the loosening of his tongue, and a stream of faith and prophetic utterance flowed from his lips. Let the word of God impart faith to your heart, and if need be, meditate silently before the Lord till faith rises within.