“Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’ The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.’” [Luke 1:18-20]
Zechariah’s uncertainty is quite understandable. I reckon I too would have had to live with a year of silence! But it’s not the best way and it’s not the way of faith. We must weigh the evidence and then decide. Centuries earlier Joshua, an old man at the time, caught the mood in his well known words: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” [Joshua 24:15] Walking with Jesus won’t just happen. It is a daily, hourly decision we must take, consciously focussing on Him and the priorities He would have. And unlike the angel Gabriel, Jesus didn’t just speak the good news. He IS the good news. So, get off that fence!
How can I be sure of this?
Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, awaken me each day to who You are, that I might avoid lukewarmness or indecision and, instead, walk wholeheartedly with You. Amen.”