Faith it!

S LUK 1:5, 18-20, 34-38 NASB

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years." The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."

   Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

O - In two cases,  Gabriel, and angel from the Lord came to deliver God's prophesy and truth.  In the first case, Zacharias responded with doubt, demand for certain how this could be that his old barren wife would have a child.   Now Zacharias was acting High Priest at the time, was in service of the temple to enter the Holy of Holies, and therefore had sufficient training and understanding to know who God was and how he operates.   On the second case a young teenage virgin girl, is visited by the same Angel with a similar proclamation and her response is one wonder, amazement and submittal to the truth of the word.    In one case Zacharias is muted for his unbelief. In Mary's case it testifies to why God has chosen her for her faith in the Lord.

A -  The application for me is to recognize that my own faith can grow.  In fact my own faith may be like the tide, come and go,  but God remains the same in who He is.   The key for me to understand is when God speaks to me through His spirit that is in me,  doubt only seperates me from Him, and faith draws me closer.   So as my friend Rod Shimabukuro might say,  if I have doubts I should just "Faith it"  when it comes to following God.

P - Dear heavenly father, thank you for your words, and your promises, and your truth.  I pray for a growing faith.  I pray my doubts and fears would be muted in comparison to my trust in you.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.