RESPOND AND RECEIVE
Luke 1:5-38

As a believer that is constantly expecting to hear from God, the kind of response that you give when His Word comes will always have a direct effect on how you receive. The Bible recorded in Luke 1:5-7, “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.” It is clear; they had done nothing wrong before God, yet they were barren. As a priest, in the hand of God, prayers must have been rendered for an open womb at the younger age of Zacharias. When it was God’s time to move, an angel of the Lord visited Him, “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” (Luke 1:13) After the angel had told Zacharias all that would become of the child (John), “…Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” (Luke 1:18) After Zacharias’s questioning of the angel about how, the angel responded by identifying himself as the angel Gabriel from the presence of God, who has brought glad tidings. Having identified himself, Zacharias lacked an immediate response of acknowledging God and that triggered angel Gabriel’s response, “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” (Luke 1:20) When the same angel visited the Virgin Mary with the announcement of conceiving Jesus, Mary also questioned the angel how it was going to happen to a virgin like her. The angel explained to Mary with details of how it would come to be, the angel confirmed to her that God was the one doing it. Just as Zacharias received the message from the angel, so Mary also received, but Mary’s response was with the acknowledgement of the Lord’s will and she stated, “Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38) Zacharias’ response to receive was with no acknowledgement, and that could have been the reason that triggered the angel’s pronouncement that caused him to become mute. In the cases of Zacharias and the Virgin Mary, there is a lesson about knowing to better respond and receive at all of His visitations.
Prayer for today: Father, I ask You for a quickening mind that will constantly enable me with a response that glorifies You. Amen.