Here's Your Proof

And the angel answered and said to him,

"I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,

and was sent to speak to you

and bring you these glad tidings.

But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak

until the day these things take place,

because you did not believe my words

which will be fulfilled in their own time."

Luke 1:19-20

As one of my favorite fictional characters once said, "You don't ask the Almighty for His ID." Zacharias was having this wonderful encounter with an angel--an occurrence that had never happened in the temple before--and had received a precious promise in response to a prayer he'd been praying. But now the reality of his situation began to sink in, and he allowed a question to form--How shall I know this? Was this old man really supposed to believe the words of an angel in what might have been a mental lapse or hallucination. What proof would be offered that the angel's words were true.

I'm glad God sometimes tolerates our little idiosyncrasies, allowing us sometimes to question, even though I think He'd prefer we just accept what He says as truth and go on with it. You want proof, the angel said. Here's your proof. My name is Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God, and you my friend are now going to be mute until the day the promise is fulfilled.

There are lots of instances in the Bible where people asked for proof. I'm not sure it ever turned out quite like they wanted. Moses wanted proof that God was calling him into the ministry. His staff turned into a snake and God gave him leprosy (then healed it) before he submitted. Pharaoh lost his nation's place in the world and his firstborn son before he heeded the command of God. Later, Jesus will deny people such proofs on the grounds that supplying proof never leads to true faith.

God wants us to exercise faith, and faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. By faith we obtain a good testimony before the Lord. Faith is the reality and the proof of the promises of God. I've never seen heaven, never had a vision, never had an out of body or in the body experience that took me there for a little sightseeing. But I believe anyway. I've never seen an angel, though I believe I've heard them singing on occasion. I saw the same demon twice, but the second time I saw it I rebuked it and haven't seen it since. I've never seen God, though I know I heard His audible voice one time, very clearly. I'm still wondering about the meaning of that experience, but I had it. But for the most part, my Christian walk has been a walk of faith. Yes, God has given little proofs along the way, but I've never really sought for evidence.

I'm sure God would have liked Zacharias to simply say, "Thank you, Lord. I believe." But in this story, it seems that his wife Elizabeth and her cousin Mary exercised more faith in the promises of God than the old priest did. How shall I know this? indeed! So God gave Zacharias a sign. Probably not the kind of sign he wanted, but a sign nevertheless. So the next time you think about asking God for some ID, remember Zacharias and the nine months he spent unable to talk.