How Shall We Know?

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechari'ah, of the division of Abi'jah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechari'ah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechari'ah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; 15 for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Eli'jah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." 18 And Zechari'ah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." 19 And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." [ Luke 1: 5-20]

I love this story. I suspect that there are many of us like Zechariah. Good people who do their thing to serve the Lord in their own way. Desperate people who have needs who cry out to the Lord silently in their prayers. Good folks who are blameless. But, whose lives are barren. Then one day Zechariah bumps into an angel. Now this is unique! I have never knowingly seen an angel; but, I do believe that we entertain them unaware at times. There are times when we tread on holy ground here on this earth. But for Zechariah there is good news! His prayer has been heard and God has chosen he and his wife to be the parents of the one who will usher in the Messiah of Israel. But, there is a problem. Even though he has heard the revelation and the message he did not believe the Word of God? He asks, "How shall I know this?" It seems such a reasonable request from our perspective? But, from God's perspective, there is a breakdown in the communication. So the solution is "silence". Be still and know that I am God. This was not the answer that Zechariah was looking for? But, it is the same answer that God offers to those who ask the question today. One comes to know God by faith. If one can't see God, the solution is shut out the noise of life and be still. Only in our silence when we listen with spiritual ears can we "hear" the word of God within us.

I was thinking of how our church services are so full of sensory perception. We even bring in more graphics, sound, video, music, drama, art and amplification. How about a service centered around silence? I confess, it would not be popular; but, what do you think? I would love to hear your comments!