A Confirmation of God's Grace

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John" (Luke 1:8-13).

Zechariah was a faithful servant of the Lord. He took his turn serving as priest along with his division. He humbly accepted whatever duties were assigned to him by his superiors. But the Lord had a special assignment for this God-directed life. While Zechariah was burning incense inside the temple, a large crowd gathered outside. Both priest and people were praying and at the top of their list was a prayer for the coming of the Messiah. They were living in difficult times, under the oppression of the Gentiles. They longed for freedom from the rule of the Romans and the reestablishment of the kingdom of Israel and they believed the Messiah would be the leader that would bring the deliverance they longed for. Of course, they also had a long list of personal needs that were not hidden from the ears of God. High on the prayer list of the aging Zechariah was a longing for a child of his own. God heard every prayer. He dispatched an angelic messenger with an answer that responded to both the intercessory and personal supplications of Zechariah and the people, but even more, served as a sign that the Messiah was coming soon. The Holy Spirit compelled Luke to record this remarkable encounter before the altar of incense in front of the veil that hid the Holiest Place in the Temple because it was a confirmation of God’s Grace.

Zechariah was called by grace. He was sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and devoted to serving God. True disciples, like Zechariah see every day as a gift from God, full of potential to be part of His supernatural work. We strive to conquer sin and keep ourselves available to God. We are sensitive to the Spirit’s presence and work in our home, neighborhood, workplace, and everywhere we go. When we live this close to the Lord, He receives our prayers and reshapes them into His will… “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 826-27). Like He did for Zechariah, God transforms the prayers of earnest disciples into His perfect will and His answers to our prayers will make us part of His supernatural plan even as He meets our personal needs. Are you available to God, to be directed and used according to His grace every day?

The angel was commissioned by grace. The Spirit reveals the name of this angel just a few verses ahead… “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news” (Luke 1:19). With these words the angel reveals that his presence and message are God-directed, God-sent, right from the divine throne room. The angel was not sent to King Herod, High Priest Mattathias, or even to Elizabeth the baby’s mother. He declared good news to Zechariah, the man of God’s choosing. Even more than angels, true disciples are ministers of the gospel by God’s grace today… “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power” (Ephesians 3:7). Are you experiencing God’s grace and power as you share the gospel every day?

The baby was conceived by grace. Gabriel’s words were clear. Elizabeth would bear a son conceived by Zechariah, but the life granted through this conception was a gift from God. The angel instructed Zechariah to name the child John, a name that means the grace of the Lord or in whom there is grace. True disciples believe we are saved by grace… “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8), and we are living each day by grace… “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6). Are you trusting less in yourself and more in God’s grace every day?

As we grow up into Christ our called, commissioned, and conceived lives become…

A Confirmation of God’s Grace.