How to Hold on to God’s Promises
Within six months, Gabriel shows up to both Zechariah, a priest, and Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus. He tells each they will have a child. (Well, Zechariah’s wife, that is.) They both ask Gabriel a question, but Zechariah and Mary get very different responses from Gabriel.
Zechariah, a man described as righteous and blameless just a few verses earlier, responds to the news that his barren wife will be with child with a question that any of us in his shoes might ask:
"How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
If you know the story, then you know what follows is an unexpected reprimand:
"I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." ' Luke 1:18-20
Now, this would not be so startling if we forgot that just a few sentences later, we learn of Mary’s visit by the same angel. She learns she is going to be pregnant, and she too asks a question:
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Mary asks a question and yet, she does not receive a reprimand. Instead, she receives a detailed explanation of what to expect.Why is one question answered and one question reprimanded?The answer is found in between commas in the end of verse 20:
“because you did not believe my words”
I look at these two encounters just six months apart from each other and see that there is a difference between asking in faith and asking in disbelief. I have certainly done both. As we hold on to God’s promises and release our plan, what are we to learn from this?May I suggest two takeaways:
- Zechariah gets put on verbal probation for not believing Gabriel, but God does not change His willingness to give Elizabeth and Zechariah the child they had longed to raise. God disciplines us, but He is merciful. We won’t release our plan perfectly, but don’t let that keep you from starting.
- In Luke 9, a father brings his demon-possessed son to Jesus to be healed and says:
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
Here Charles Spurgeon’s insight shines some hope:
“’Help my unbelief’ is something a man can only say by faith. While men have no faith, they are unconscious of their unbelief; but, as soon as they get a little faith, then they begin to be conscious of the greatness of their unbelief.”
Likewise, our desire to hold on to God’s promises comes from the Spirit of God in a believer. Be like that father in Luke 9, cry out and ask the Lord to continue to increase your faith so each day you will hold on to His promises with a tighter grip.
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