Persistent Faith

And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people” (Luke 1:21-25).

Zechariah’s unusually long time of service inside the Temple prompted wondering among the congregation that prayed outside. When he appeared, his silence provoked a buzz in the crowd. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. For them, this was confirmation that God’s presence still blessed the Holiest Place in His Temple and He still spoke to His people through the priests that ministered there. Unable to communicate with the crowd, Zechariah completed his time of service and went home. He was able to communicate the vision to his wife Elizabeth and she soon conceived. This confirmed that Zechariah and Elizabeth had a unity of faith in God who sent His messenger Gabriel. Finally, the Spirit prompted Luke to record that Elizabeth kept herself hidden for five months. She was not ashamed or doubtful, as revealed by her declaration of praise. She simply had no desire to leave home or her husband’s side, especially now that in every conversation, she would have the last word! Zechariah and Elizabeth were huddled together for nine months in anticipation of the birth of their miracle child and in this precious couple we see a beautiful picture of persistent faith.

Persistent faith requires confidence before the crowd. Zechariah kept faith in front of the bewildered, questioning crowd. He is a great example to earnest disciples like us who live according to our faith in the middle of a bewildered, questioning world. Zechariah reminds us that our Christ-centered lifestyle should provoke others to ask about what makes us different, and the Spirit exhorts us through the pen of the Apostle Paul to always be prepared to answer the questions of the crowd… “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

Persistent faith requires contentment in the calling. Zechariah kept faith at his work. He did not immediately run home, but He dutifully finished out his appointed time of service. He is a clear example to maturing disciples like us who are faithfully seeking to discern and obey God’s will in the midst of a world of temptation and sin. Zechariah reminds us that discovering and pursuing God’s perfect will does not require that we change our job or leave our home. Rather, as we give ourselves wholeheartedly to the ministry and work He has already provided for us, and as we are sensitive to His Spirit’s leading, God will keep us in the center of His work and His will. When we work as if we work for Christ we make ourselves available to Him, to be placed where He wants us to be… “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Persistent faith requires consistency in the confidential. Zechariah kept faith at home, between himself and his wife, when no one else was looking. They did not boast publicly as the couple who had been visited by an angel. Instead, behind the closed doors of their humble home, Zechariah and Elizabeth faithfully fulfilled their marital duties and despite their advanced age and Elizabeth’s barren condition, they waited patiently for the fulfillment of the vision. They are a precious example to diligent disciples like us of behind the scenes faith. They remind us about the integrity of genuine faith. Because real faith is a matter of the heart, it is just as important and evident in both the public and private lives of real believers… “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

As we grow up into Christ He includes us in His supernatural work as we grow in…

Persistent Faith.