5   In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

6  Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

7  But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

8  Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

9  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10  And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11  Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

12  When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

13  But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

14  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

15  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.[2]

16  Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.

17  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

18  Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

19  The angel answered, "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.

20  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 proper time."

21  Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.

22  When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23  When his time of service was completed, he returned home.

24  After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.

25  "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

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How would you respond if the miraculous invaded your life?  That theoretical question became a reality for Zechariah.  One day while he was carrying out his job as a priest, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared before him.  How did Zechariah respond?  He was "startled and was gripped with fear" (v. 12).  Wouldn't you be?

Zechariah listened to the angel's promise that he and his wife would have a son, one who would become a blessing to the nation of Israel.  Being a priest, old Zechariah knew about the ancient teaching that one like Elijah would precede the Messiah's coming (Malachi 4:5 - 6).  So when the angel spoke of this boy in terms of the "spirit and power of Elijah," Zechariah knew that this one short phrase summarized his son's career as the precursor to the Savior of the world.

Overcome with doubt, Zechariah asked for proof (v. 18).  He got it, but it wasn't the kind of proof that he expected.  The elderly priest completely lost his speech until his son, the child of this promise, was born.  Once the child arrived, Zechariah opened his mouth wide and gave praise to God (v. 64).

Look at Zechariah's progression; he moved from fear to doubt to faith.  We've all know fear and doubt, and most of us have found that it's easy to get stuck there.  Faith can follow fear and doubt for us as it did for Zechariah.  But, as Zechariah eventually was, we need to be receptive to truth.

God may not send an angel to speak to you or take away your speech to prove himself.  But he will give you all the evidence you need to believe in his promises for your life.  As you red God's word and discover his promises, ask him to move you beyond fear and doubt and into faith.