Luke 1:5-20
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth…”
(Luke 1:13b-14)
I’m not sure that starting a conversation with “Don’t be afraid,” is such a good idea. I suppose it’s a great way to get someone’s attention, but if you have to say it, chances are the person you’re trying to reassure is already hanging on the edge.
The New Revised Standard Version says that Zechariah was “terrified…fear overwhelmed him.” How does one recover from overwhelming fear? The angel doesn’t really give Zechariah much opportunity to do so as he immediately follows his greeting with news that may have frightened Zechariah even more. The news that his wife, Elizabeth, would conceive and bear a son, filled with the Holy Spirit who would lead a sinful people back to the Lord, would certainly have made me shake in my sandals. It’s no wonder Zechariah questioned the angel’s news.
I have always appreciated Zechariah for his vulnerability and his honesty. Fear and doubt at times accompany the call of God. We may not be struck dumb like Zechariah, but responding to the call of God can easily leave one humbled and amazed…perhaps even speechless. But God equips those God calls…even the uncertain, reluctant ones…like me, and perhaps, you.
Prayer: Use me, Lord, even in my doubt and fear. Amen.
Jim Abernathy
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