Week 1 Christmas Challenge, Space for Awe.Àpẹrẹ

Verse 13 (Voice): “But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.”

And the powerful prophecy follows (which we’ll consider later in this plan). 

But in this short communication from the angel, we have some simple truths that can bolster our confidence and faith. 

God dispatched the angel. This implies not only that He exists but that He cares for us and intervenes in our lives. He has unlimited resources to apply to our needs and our desires. Remember, this issue was, from one perspective, merely a personal issue for Elizabeth and Zechariah. They were aging and lacked a child.

And God sent Gabriel. We don’t tend to get detailed descriptions of specific angels in the Bible. And with Gabriel, he identifies himself like this (v19 NIV): “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God.” He stands in the presence of God! That’s enough. 

And God knows his name. Now, we know that theologically—the Creator of all created us and so it makes sense. However, God knows our name! He knows your name. 

Next, Elizabeth and Zechariah had been praying. They took their needs and desires to God. Again, simple. But simple isn’t always easy. But an example that we can quickly follow. Let’s bring out requests to God. 

And the two results of that praying? 

First—they were instructed, “Don’t be afraid.” When we pray, we no longer have to be afraid. In that sense, prayer dissipates fear. And, of course, it isn’t the simple act of praying, but the One to whom we pray and the exercise of our faith in Him. In other words, prayers to false gods won’t remove fear. Exercising faith in a false god won’t do it. It is the Lord God who takes away fear when we exercise our faith by praying to Him. 

Second, God answers. Hallelujah. God hears and answers our prayers. Let that sink in. And let us pray. 

Awesome!