December 19 | Silent Reflection
Luke 1:18-25 (NIV)
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 said to him, “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 appointed 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.”
He was unable to speak! In this Scripture, Zechariah was silenced by God. God's servant, Gabriel, had come to visit Zechariah and tell him that in his old age, he and his wife were going to give birth to a son who was to be great in the eyes of the Lord and filled with His Spirit! But Zechariah doubted – wouldn't you and I doubt this? Biblical scholars believe Zechariah was between 80 and 90 years old!! But God! What man may say is impossible, is definitely possible with God.
Gabriel told Zechariah he would not be able to speak until his son was born because he did not believe. So Zechariah had to wait – he had to wait 9 long months without speaking. He anticipated the birth of his son, for this miraculous promise to be fulfilled.
In the silence, did Zechariah reflect on his new role as a dad? Did he think about the promise of God as he watched the baby grow in his wife's belly? Did he regret the doubt he had?
Do we use our times of silence to reflect on what God is preparing us to do? Sometimes we are silenced by God for our own protection. In our spirit, we know we should not speak even though everything in us wants to blurt something out.
In these moments, I find I need to trust God, not doubt Him. In the silence, I can reflect on His goodness and faithfulness and guidance. When we don't talk, we leave room for God to speak, whether it is in a whisper or in a roar. In those moments, we need to trust Jesus and use the silence as a time to grow closer to Him. In the silence, let us pray, reflect and remember that nothing is impossible with God and His promises will be fulfilled!
~Lisa Maneri