The Story of Zacharias

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The Story of Zacharias

“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Luke 1:13).

If an angel of the Lord appeared to you, how would you react? What would your response be?

Gabriel

The angel Gabriel appeared to two people, Zacharias and Mary, within the space of about six months. Zacharias was old and responded with disbelief in his heart. Mary was young and, listening carefully, accepted her role as God’s handmaid.

Zacharias

This is Zacharias’ story. He had prayed many years for his wife Elisabeth to conceive a child. Now they both were old. Although he was old, Zacharias was still able to be engaged in some priestly responsibilities.

He may have been over 50 and in semi-retirement. Priests served from age 25 until age 50. After that they were allowed to “minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge,” and they did no additional service (Numbers 8:24-26).

Zacharias Duties  One Time To Get it Right

The priests took turns doing their priestly duties. It was Zacharias’ turn to leave home and go to the temple. “According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord” (Luke 1:9).

While Zacharias was inside the temple performing his priestly responsibilities, outside there was a large number of people who were praying. They were adding their prayers of the saints of God to what Zacharias was doing inside. There was a schedule everyone was following. Even after the people outside expected Zacharias to be through inside, they stuck around, waiting for him to come out of the temple.

Never Doubt Gabriel

When Zacharias finally came out he couldn’t talk! He was speaking normally when he went into the temple. What had happened?

While Zacharias was doing what he was supposed to do inside the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, taking precedence over everything else. Fear gripped Zacharias, a perfectly normal response, which the angel gently lifted from him.

God Hears and Answers Prayers

All those times Zacharias had asked God to help Elisabeth conceive a child, God had been listening. God had been waiting for the right time to answer his prayer. Jesus was born at a particular time in history. Now Zacharias was going to have a son, who would be Jesus’ forerunner.

The angel, who said his name was Gabriel, referenced what Malachi said at God’s direction 400 years earlier. “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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” (Luke 1:17, Malachi 4:5-6).

After all the years he had wanted at least one child, Zacharias now struggled with the message Gabriel was sent by God to give him. He seemed to brush aside every positive thing Gabriel said, only focusing on the seeming impossibility of the birth of a son, given their age.

Zacharias was having a time coming to grips with what was happening to him. He likely did not wake up that morning expecting to have a conversation with an angel.

Value of Walking with God

That’s the value of a daily walk with God. Following the procedure of reading our Bible daily or frequently leads us to expect great things from God.

The interesting thing is, Zacharias’ lack of faith did not render Gabriel’s message from God null and void. Zacharias and Elisabeth would have a boy. They were instructed to name him John. They would have joy and gladness at his birth. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. He would turn many people of Israel to the Lord their God (Luke 1:14-16).

The only thing to offset the glorious message Gabriel brought was Zacharias would not be able to speak for three quarters of a year, until John their son was born.

May God help us focus on Him and His Word instead of us and our circumstances. Given the events of this year, may we allow ourselves to be choice servants of the Lord, now and in 2021. God wants to bless others through our willingness to be His vessels for His glory, even today.

https://youtu.be/NOxJFN-9_vs  Meredith Andrews

Shirley Logsdon

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About Shirley Logsdon

I am the only child of Christian parents who wanted me to know God personally as they did. One night during church we watched a movie depicting a family in their home accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I was nine and realized then my desire to make Jesus my personal Savior. With the full support of my parents, I met with the pastor and prayed to receive Christ. A few years later, several of us around the same age began classes for our confirmation to become church members. The privilege of taking communion was a special time for me. . During my teenage years I was outwardly complacent, but was inwardly rebellious. I developed the nasty habit of disrupting harmony in the household by nitpicking at anything and everything. A preacher came to hold revival services at my dad’s church and nailed me silently with looks. This helped me tremendously. I turned a corner and began to respect and obey my parents in attitude and actions. I survived these years through prayer (mine, my parents and friends). The love and tenacity of my parents and God’s grace got me through these years of upheaval. I readily identify with David the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 25:7, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.” Because my parents provided a stable home life for me, when I went to college my Christian values remained intact. After completing my education in 1979, I started working. For a while, I worked at temp agencies, then I did odd jobs. I settled down in a secretarial position in 1986 working for a firm specializing in retirement plan administration. In 2007, I started working for a law firm, eventually becoming a knowledge management assistant in their law library, helping to alert attorneys to new business opportunities. I am a productive citizen of my country in large part because my parents prayed for me and made clear by word and example what they expected of me. I am extremely grateful to God for them. John 15:5 is my life verse: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” I am confronted with this realization every day I live, and it helps keep me on the straight and narrow path. I met my future husband at church. After a few years of our two families getting acquainted, he and I started courting. We married at the church where we met, in the presence of many relatives and friends. We have been married for 29 years. My hobbies are reading, cooking, and canning or freezing what my beloved husband grows in the garden. Also, I thoroughly enjoy writing. While my writing has included poems, most of my writing has been letters to family and friends. I like to share my faith when I write and am fond of adding a Bible verse or two to help focus on the source of our life. Since I am now retired after working 38 years, I can concentrate on keeping up with birthdays. Something else I enjoy is studying the Bible, often with others. Blogging is a new form of writing for me. I am getting my feet wet and I’m beginning to enjoy the experience.

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