Responding in Faith
The Christmas account is full of examples of people responding in faith to that which God tells them. The wise men choosing to travel for months in faith that they would find the newborn King at journey’s end; the shepherds leaving their flocks to go to Bethlehem, in faith that the angel’s proclamation of the Messiah’s birth was indeed true; Joseph, choosing in faith to take Mary as his wife, choosing to please God, though it meant suffering the disapproval and shame of friends and family.
But this week, as I thought about that first Christmas, a contrast stood out to me. In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appears to two different people, delivering two different, though seemingly impossible messages.
Zacharias was told that, although he and his wife were both old, they would miraculously have a son. Mary was told that, though a virgin, she would bear a child who would be the Son of God. Both messages are similar, as each proclaimed a seeming impossibility, and Zacharias and Mary each asked a question of the angel, but one asked in faith, and one in doubt.
Zacharias’ responded to the angel by saying,
“Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” (v.18)
In essence, he is asking, “How do I know this is true?” He is standing in the temple, speaking with a messenger from God, and he asks how he will know the message is true. Sometimes you and I are just the same. We know what God’s Word says, but we don’t think it could possibly work in real life.
But notice that Gabriel answers with a declaration of judgment on his unbelief:
“And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.” (vv.19-20)
As Hebrews 11:6 reminds us,
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
Zacharias’ unbelief in the face of a sure and certain promise of God was displeasing to the Lord, and our unbelief is, too. When we respond to God’s Word or to the prompting of the Holy Spirit with a “practical” skepticism, we are essentially accusing God of being a liar. We may know in our heads that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) but our hearts easily fall into the trap of “what ifs”.
In contrast to this unbelief, we have Mary’s response. When informed of the miraculous way in which her child would be conceived, Mary simply said,
“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word.” (v.38)
Then the angel left. There was nothing more to be said. His words had been both believed and accepted, and it only remained for God to accomplish what He had promised.
Mary’s faith is perhaps even more impressive when we consider the position God’s will for her would have put her in with her family, her husband-to-be, and her community. And yet, in the face of grave repercussions, Mary was able to both believe and trust God.
Sometimes our unbelief is not so much founded upon a lack of believing God’s words or will, but rather a distrust of His character. We might never say it out loud, but we secretly wonder if the will of God is truly “good, and acceptable, and perfect” as God has said.
Other times, we might respond to the will of God with anxiety, because, as C.S. Lewis put it,
“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”
Instead of focusing on the deep joy found in doing the will of God, we tend to focus on the discomfort, pain, or humiliation our flesh will experience as we say no to self and yes to God.
But that is a strategy of Satan, to get our eyes off God and onto ourselves. Mary didn’t yield to that temptation, at least not in that first moment of surrender to the extraordinary and unexpected will of God.
This Christmas and beyond, may you and I respond to the will of God each moment with a Christlike heart that chooses to focus on the joy of obedience. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Christ,
“for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”
Contrary to what the world would have us believe, suffering is unavoidable this side of heaven. How much better to suffer within the will of God, with all His inexhaustible supply of grace and comfort, joy and peace available to us, than to suffer as the world suffers: hopeless, comfortless, never satisfied.
Later, Zacharias had another opportunity to respond in faith. When the promised son was born, the family insisted he should be named after his father, but Zacharias chose to obey the message from God and name the boy John.
At that moment of faith-fuelled obedience, God removed the muteness which had been a judgment on Zacharias’ unbelief, and Zacharias was able to praise God aloud and proclaim what God had planned for this son given miraculously in their old age. I am so thankful that God desires forgiveness, restoration, and the strengthening of our faith!
Now, dear reader, as you celebrate Christmas this year, what is God asking you to respond to in faith?
“For we walk by faith, not by sight”2 Corinthians 5:7