Day 11 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Zechariah and Mary.  Both are expecting babies that they can't fully comprehend they why or even the how.  Zechariah with his old age and his wife's old age and Mary by being a virgin.  When the angel, Gabriel, comes to both of them, he is met with a different responses given by each.

When Zechariah is told that he will give birth to a son, he doesn't say, "Okay."  He doesn't even say, "I don't understand how or why, but if you say it, I'll believe it."  I think Zechariah represents many of us today, in all honesty.  I don't know that my response would have been any different.  I would hope it would have been, but having met an angel, not so sure!  Zechariah's response is "please give me a sign."  So, God does....He takes aways his communication (but he gets by with the flailing of his arms). 

When Mary is told she will give birth to a baby boy, and oh, that baby's name will be Jesus by the way, she responds with "But how can this happen?  I am a virgin."  Gabriel then tells her how it would happen, with the Holy Spirit coming upon her.  Her final response? "I am the Lord's servant.  May everything you have said about me come true."

Two completely different responses.  When we are presented with tests of our faith, we have two options.  We can believe that God stays true to what He says or we can doubt.  Regardless, God is still God whether we choose to believe in Him or not.  Ann Stewart sums it up best: "Our lack of faith does not make God any less; we just fail to experience His power."