“Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’” Luke 1:18 NIV
Zechariah was righteous in the sight of the Lord and this meant that his godliness was not an outward show, like the “righteousness” of the Pharisees, but a matter of the heart. This man walked with God and he had done so for many years. The fact that such a godly man doubted shows us that none are exempt from the problem. Other great men and women of faith in the Bible also had their moments of doubt. When the Lord announced to Abraham that his wife would give birth to a son, Sarah, listening on the other side of the tent wall, laughed in doubt (Genesis 18:10-15). The son of Zechariah, John the Baptist, also experienced doubt. He was in prison and he began to wonder, “If Jesus is truly the Messiah, why am I, His messenger, here in prison?” He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” Then He gently rebuked John’s doubt by adding, “And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me” (Luke 7:22, 23). Jesus went on to tell the crowd that among those born of women, there is no one greater than John. He was a godly man, but he had his moments of doubt too. Doubt is a real problem, even for those who are righteous in God’s sight. We should be on guard against doubt lest we fall into the same trap.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, help us by Your Holy Spirit to be on guard against doubt.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, You have shown us in Your Word that doubt is a problem, even for those who are righteous in Your sight. If godly men like Zechariah and John suffered from doubt, help us to be on guard so we too do not fall into the same trap. AMEN
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)
Isaiah 61:1-3
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