December Devotions and Doodles – Day 5 (December 5)
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:5-25
5 In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.
8 When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. 16 He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”
18 “How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20 Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless. 23 When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months. She said, 25 “The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people.”
December 5 Devotional: Do Not Be Afraid
Have you ever had an experience that should be a good thing, but it scared you? Maybe you wanted a promotion at work, and when you got it, you were stressed and worried about navigating the new responsibility. Perhaps you wanted to try something new and then got completely overwhelmed.
Zechariah and Elizabeth
Here is a couple who lived their whole married life righteously, seeking to please God. They longed for children, but had never had any.
Imagine the incredible surprise and delight you would expect when Zechariah, a priest who lives to serve in the house of God, sees an actual angel. A real, live angel! AND, that angel tells him news that he has been longing for all his married life.
How Does He React?
Does Zechariah geek out and get all excited? Does he ask a million questions about what heaven is like? Is he unable to stop smiling?
Nope.
He is terrified. Pure, unadulterated terror.
Do Not Be Afraid
So Gabriel, the angel starts off by trying to allay the fear of Zechariah:
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard.” Luke 1:13
In fact, throughout the bible, when an angel brings a message from God to people on earth, they almost always start with the words “do not be afraid.”
Zechariah’s Response
Zechariah does not respond with gratitude to this amazing news that not only will he be a father (which he has always wanted) but that his son will be the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah (which is a dream come true for such a devout follower of God).
He responds with unbelief. His mind can’t reconcile the news from this supernatural being with the fact that his body is old and logically should no longer be able to work in that way. How often do we brush aside the miraculous answers to our prayers because they aren’t logical?
Gabriel’s Authority
19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20 Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Gabriel comes directly from the presence of God. He realizes that our human brains, even those of us who live our lives to please God and work to trust more and more fully, have trouble when the supernatural comes into conflict with the laws of nature.
So, he doesn’t revoke the blessing that God has intended for His servants Zechariah and Elizabeth. However, as a result of his disbelief, he will have to endure an inability to speak for the length of the pregnancy. How uncomfortable!
December 5 – Action Step:
Can we learn from Zechariah’s experience? When something happens that terrifies us, maybe we should take a moment and ask God if this is part of a message from Him, a part of His plan for us, or even an answer to our prayers. Let’s prepare our hearts to respond with belief and acceptance rather than disbelief. Today, December 5, let’s say “yes” to what God has for us.
Prayer:
Dear God, You are full of wisdom. Help us not to fear Your plan for us. Help us to routinely respond to You with belief. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Drawing Tutorial – December 5: How to Draw an Angel
- Draw a rounded triangle that is open on top. Add two lines and ovals for legs and feet.
- Top the rounded triangle with a circle with scribbles on top of it.
- An oval above the head creates a halo. Add a curve on side and connect the end of it with rounded, jagged line that moves up.
- Where the wings connect to the body, draw a diagonal line on each side and add a circle at the end for arms and hands. A smiley face finishes off your drawing of an angel.
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