“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.’” Luke 1:19 NIV
God sovereignly breaks into history and announces what He is about to do. Then He proceeds to do it. In verse 18, Zechariah expresses the reason for his doubt by saying, “I am an old man”. It is an emphatic expression, ego eimi, in Greek. In verse 19, the angel responds by using the same emphatic expression, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I have been sent to speak to you . . .”. It is a deliberate contrast between the feebleness of man’s word and the power of God’s Word. It is as if Gabriel said, “You may be an old man, unable to father a child, but I am no less than the angel who stands in God’s very presence and comes to speak His word at His command.” Clearly, the Word of God overcomes the word of man. One way we can know that God will do what He says He will do is by observing His prophetic Word. There are many prophecies in Scripture that were fulfilled later in Scripture. God spoke, and later God did what He said He would do. That should strengthen our faith. Scripture also contains many prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled. While some of the details may be fuzzy, the overall picture is clear, and it is also clear that in our day everything is lining up just as God said it would. The world is set up for a powerful leader to bring the nations together under a one-world government, as Revelation predicts. As we see God’s “prophetic word made more sure” (2 Peter 1:19), we should put our doubts to rest and trust in the Word of God.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, we put our doubts to rest as we trust in Your Word.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, as we see Your prophetic Word made more sure, we choose to put our doubts to rest and trust in the fact that You will do what You have said You will do. AMEN
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)
Psalm 85:8-13
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