I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want is to be filled with despair. What if when someone describes me, they say, “She is nice enough, but kind of an Eeyore .” Eek. Yet, isn’t it easy to look at the negative side of life? I can fill my daily commentary with a gloomy tone if I am not careful. “That line at the grocery store went on for miles.” “Since when did getting an oil change take so long?” “Buying Christmas gifts for everyone on my list is so expensive.”

These small comments may not sound like the depths of despair (to quote one of my favorite Anne of Green Gables lines), but they add up and before I know it, I end the day in a humdrum spirit, completely missing the joy God offers so freely.

Zechariah

In Luke 1, we are introduced to Zechariah. As a priest with a godly wife, God bestowed on him many kind blessings; but one thing was not bestowed— a son. This burden of childlessness had not escaped God’s attention for He knew Zechariah’s grief, his struggle, and He had a plan to use them both.

Zechariah’s Response to a Miracle

IIn Luke 1, Gabriel comes and proclaims to Zechariah that he will finally have a son.

The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. (1:13-14)

What a miracle, what a gift.

But what was Zechariah’s response to Gabriel’s announcement? “How shall I know this?” He wanted further proof, and this response also demonstrates his blindness to God’s blessings in this whole encounter.

• Zechariah was chosen by lot to enter the temple and burn incense — this was a BIG deal and usually only happened once in a priest’s lifetime.
• An angel appeared — God had been seemingly silent for years and now He sends one of His messengers
• Gabriel used his name, and his wife Elizabeth’s — God knew them by name
• Your prayer has been heard — confirmation God was paying attention all along

Zechariah daringly asks for further confirmation, but then again… don’t we all? Instead of looking at the many wonderful, detailed ways God has provided for us and answered prayers, we fixate on the what-ifs and likely impossibilities. We long for writing in the sky while neglecting the promises already written in His word. We isolate ourselves in search of wisdom and forsake fellowship with a godly community, and I must confess I fail to see God’s gifts in my life just like Zechariah.

However, as we continue reading Luke 1, we see that he is not the only one who receives a message from Gabriel. And this young girl is filled with anything but despair.

Mary’s Response to a Miracle 

This time Gabriel is sent to a betrothed young woman, Mary, to announce another unlikely blessing, one even more incredible than the message delivered to Zechariah.

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. (1:30-32)

And yet what does she say in response to her message? How will this be, not can. She may not have understood exactly how this would occur as she was still a virgin, but she didn’t doubt. In faith, she asks the angel to help her understand, and she receives more details on the miracle to come and ends this conversation with “May it be as you say. I am the servant of the Lord.”

How could Mary, likely a 12 to 15-year-old girl, be filled with such joy? A belief in the promises of God. She didn’t just acknowledge them but hid them in her heart.

Mary’s Magnificat is well-known and overflowing with truths from the Old Testament. Compare her prayer with Hannah’s in 1 Samuel 2, and you will quickly find similarities. And, as you continue to examine the phrases she uses, you will uncover not just well-worded praise but a deep knowledge of Scripture.

• The God of my salvation—“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Hab 3:18.
• The Mighty One—“The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.” Psalm 50:1
• He who has done great things for me—“The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zeph 3:17
• His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation—“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7; “So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:11

This is just a small sampling of Mary’s knowledge of the Word. She knew the character of her God, filling her heart and soul with the truth, which produced great joy in her countenance.

I can’t imagine that the next steps in her journey were easy. She likely had to tell her parents the news, and Joseph. Before Joseph received his own message from an angel, he intended to break off the engagement! (Matthew 1:19) But from what we see in Scripture, Mary remained steadfast in her joy.

Hope for Us Zechariahs 

Even though I love Mary’s response, I fear I’m more likely to respond like Zechariah and quickly ask the what-ifs and brace myself for the worst-case scenario. Thankfully, Scripture offers hope to us, the Zechariahs of the world.

For nine months, Zechariah could not speak, but when he did, what a change of disposition. His words were filled with praise! His prophetic song also contains connections to the promises of God as he speaks beautiful, poetic words to his son regarding his role in announcing Jesus’ arrival.

For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (1:76-79)

Finally, Zechariah and Mary had something in common—they both rejoiced in the God of their salvation. And so can we.

I too gloss over the promises of God too quickly, but this reality remains: I am an imperfect sinner who needs a savior. Every day I can choose to be filled with doubt, supposing God is done working in my life, like Zechariah. Or, like Mary, I can gaze at my Savior, filled with joy that I get to walk with the Mighty One who has indeed done great things for me.