Let It Be to Me: The Heart Posture God Honors

The words of CBN Israel’s Roberto Torres-Cedillo:

Imagine that an angel sent by God appeared to you and shared this message that sounded impossible. What would you do? Would you believe? Or would you doubt?

In Luke chapter one, we see the angel Gabriel sent by God to both Zechariah and Mary, and both of their responses, when you study them, when you look at them, are entirely different. And the outcome has a lesson for you and for me.

If we look at Zechariah first: Zacharias in the temple, he's a priest, he's called blameless before the Lord, and he's offering incense. He's praying. And the angel Gabriel appears to him, and we know the story. He tells him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, are going to conceive a son, that God has heard his prayers, and he shall call him John.

And what is Zechariah's response to the message of Gabriel? This is what he says in the original language. In the Greek he actually says, “How can I be sure of this? How can I know this for sure?” He's asking for what? Cognitive assurance. He's asking for evidence in order to trust. “How can I know this for sure?”

You know, I find it many times that I ask the same type of question when God is challenging me or when I'm reading the promises of His word. And don't we sometimes do the same? “How can I know this for sure? How can I trust you? Give me evidence. Give me a clue.”

If you look at the history and the context of Zechariah, he's a priest. He knows Torah. He knows the scriptures. And he would remember the story of Samson. He would remember the story of Abraham—how God gave a promise, how God said something would come to pass, and it did.

But yet he still asks, “How can I know this for sure?”

And what is Gabriel's response to Zechariah? He tells him, “Because you do not believe my words, you will not be able to speak. You will be silent until these things come to pass.”

Now, if we look further down in the chapter, Luke one, we see Mary, and the angel Gabriel also appears to her and announces that she will conceive a son, the Savior of the world, Jesus, the Son of God. And what is her response to this incredible announcement?

She says, “How will this be? For I am a virgin.” You notice the difference. “How will this be?” Not “How can I know this?”

The difference is that Mary is asking from a place of wonder, from a place of amazement, from a place of trust, seeking understanding, not from a place of doubt. Again, you may ask, how can you know this? Well, because we look at it in the text further down. She says, “I am the bond servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”

And then Luke even emphasizes that when Mary visits Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, Elizabeth greets Mary, and it says that the Holy Spirit comes upon Elizabeth, and she says, “Blessed are you who believed that what the Lord spoke to her would come to be fulfilled.”

So we have two people, Zechariah and Mary, hearing the announcement of the angel. Both of them respond differently.

And you know, this is not to beat up on Zechariah. If I'm honest with you, so many times I look more like Zechariah than Mary—when I'm asking God for evidence, I want a little more proof. “Give me something to trust you, and then I'll take the step of faith, God.” Don't we do that many times?
But you see, God wants us to posture our heart like Mary. Can we say to Him, “How will this be?” It's okay to ask God the big questions. It's okay to ask questions from a place of trust. “Lord, I don't understand, but I trust you. I may not know where I'm going, but I know the One who is leading.” That is the heart of faith.

Faith is trust. It's reliance in what God has done, in who God is, His character, and then acting in obedience.

And so you and I, we have the record of the Scriptures. We have the record of God's faithfulness. And we also have the cross, the tomb that is empty, and a resurrected Savior who fulfilled the prophecies, who defeated death and the grave, and He is risen.

We have great facts. We already have what we need to trust in His goodness, in His faithfulness.
So today, can I encourage you to say, “I am the bond servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”