Good evening … Great is His Faithfulness …
DAY 7: DOUBT
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you [a]these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
(Luke 1:11-20)
(v. 11): Angels minister at the altar of the Lord, of course usually unseen … Priests with pure hearts such as Zacharia, are always chosen by God to witness this angelic liturgy – (see also Isaiah 6; and Revelation 7:9-17) …
Zacharia as high priest prayed not for a son, but for atonement of the sins of Israel – (Hebrews 9:7) … Gabriel’s – (v. 19) announcement reveals both that Zacharias’ prayer for atonement will be answered and that Elizabeth will conceive a son … This was announced by John, who will identify Christ as “THE LAMB OF GOD” Who takes away the sin of the world” – (John 1:29) … He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb: (see also, v. 41) … And Elijah is expected to reappear from heaven as the forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ – (Mal 4:5) … John the Baptist fulfills the spirit of Elijah as he is the forerunner of the Lord’s first coming – (see also, Matthew 11:14) … YOU WILL BE MUTE: Zachariah is disciplined for his lack of faith, his doubt, yet despite all of this he serves as proof that Gabriel’s announcement – (v. 19) is indeed true.
1: What is something you’ve repeatedly petitioned God for??? I have repeatedly petitioned God for the following: (A): To be a good teacher of His Word in both truth and righteousness … (B): I have asked for patience … (c): Wisdom when I’m seeking the Scriptures … (D): self-control is another I asked from God for help, especially when I find myself in a stressful situation or dealing with random frustrating comments … (E): I ask for the courage to never give up on Him … (F): I ask for Him to help me to understand my children better … (G): Last but not least I ask the Lord repeatedly to make a better husband and that I always put Heather and the kids first before myself … (This is called my seven point plan with the Father) …
2: Do you struggle to believe God hears your prayers??? I believe this is a struggle for us especially being the fact we are human … We all fall short of the glory of God so yes; I struggle sometimes whether He is listening to me … What helps me when I get this way is that knowing His timing is always perfect so it’s best to let Him work out the details, believe me He gets to us all when the timing is right …
3: What are some audacious things you can ask God to do in your life??? I don’t believe I fully understand where this question is going … I keep it simple with the Lord, and I don’t need to bold when asking for things from Him … The Father knows our hearts, and He knows our needs so our prayers should be simple … Therefore, I love using the Lord’s Prayer, because it’s simple and it covers all the words, we need to speak to the Lord so He can start His wonderful work and helping us out in our endeavors …
Prayer Focus:
Acknowledge to God an area in your life you’ve hardened your heart about and resolve to be surrendered and open to anything He wants to do …
Psalm 4
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