December 15th Advent Devotional

December 15

Luke 1:5-22

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard….”

Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 

–Luke 1:13a, 18–19

Each time I sat down to write this, the only part of this wonderful story that jumped out was its worst part: Zechariah’s disbelief.

It makes sense; this year has been a doozy for me, filled with doubt and resignation. Looking at the headlines any given day would just add more to the pile.

We know Zechariah’s world was a doozy, too. He had to live under the rule of King Herod, who had risen to power through his father’s connections to Marc Antony (yes, that Marc Antony). Herod’s talents and skills were consumed by his own greed and insecurities, and he was determined to stay in power at all costs.

Frankly, I’m not sure how a priest like Zechariah could do his job under those circumstances, but we know he remained faithful to God. What his doubt demonstrates, however, is that even the most faithful can offload dreams when the weight of everything else becomes too much.

Is this why he didn’t believe Gabriel? Did he look around and shrug that God could not (or would not) do the impossible in his life? Likewise, do we believe God can do the impossible in our lives, in our communities, and in our world today? Or do we let the doubt of our circumstances us weigh us down?

The season of Advent reminds us that the Creator of the universe longs for us to trust Him with our tears, our cries, our deepest desires, and our celebrations. In doing so, we are able to recognize what God has done in our lives, and it becomes easier to believe what God can do when life seems impossible or lacking.

Today, ask the Lord to unload the weight of doubt and guide you back to a place of wonder and dreams.

Miriam Drennan