Are You Kidding Me?

And Zacharias said to the angel,

"How shall I know this?

For I am an old man,

and my wife is well advanced in years."

Luke 1:18

Sometimes when God speaks to us, He says some pretty incredible things. He makes promises and utters prophecies and reveals people's hearts. But that's the kind of God He has always been, and I expect that's the kind of God He will always be. He is the God of the incredible, the unbelievable, the fantastic, the extraordinary. Frankly, He's also the God of the impossible, but I think He likes that most especially...as I've often said, an impossible situation is just an opportunity for God to show up and show off!

Zacharias was certainly having an incredible moment with his personal communique from God, but he should have realized he was in good company. Think about the incredible things God had asked people to do during the 4000 year history of the Jewish Scriptures.

Noah, build a big boat and load it with animals because rain (which had never happened) is going to destroy the face of the planet and everything on it.

Abraham, pack your bags and leave town, but I'm not telling you where you're going, how long it will take you to get there, and what I want you to do there after you arrive. And by the way, you may be ninety-nine and your wife may be eighty-nine, but by this time next year you're going to be parents!

Happy 80th birthday, Moses. Go down to Egypt where you're a wanted man, dead or alive, and tell ol' Pharaoh to let My people go.

Isaiah, preach in the buff. Jeremiah, preach with a yoke around your neck. Hosea, marry a prostitute. Ezekiel (and this is really one of my favorites) cut off all your hair; cut up a third of it with your sword, throw a third of away with the wind, and burn another third on the fire. And while you're building a fire, cook your food over burning poop. Tie yourself down to the ground, so many days on one side and so many days on the other. When your wife dies, don't you dare cry. That's all.

And those instances don't even begin to scratch the surface of incredible things God told people to do. Now He sends a personal messenger to Zacharias with a fantastic, almost unbelievable message--you're going to have a son, he's going to be great, and he'll minister in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet to prepare the way of the Lord's coming. I know you're old, and I know you're wife is past her child-bearing years. I know from your standpoint it is impossible, but I'm telling you it's going to happen.

Zacharias questioned the message. He may have even questioned the reality of the situation and the state of his own mind. Was he crazy? Was he hearing things? God is this for real? How do I know what you're telling me is true?

But remember this...if God says it, you can believe it. That settles it.