 Luke 1:5-23, 57-59 The Christmas story illustrates that God has a place in His plans for ordinary people who have honest doubts about Him. Doubts are hesitations behind our “official” statements. They relate to what we really believe about God, not what we know we should believe about God. There’s a difference. Most people are ordinary. Others see them as unlikely to pull far ahead of the pack or to attract attention to themselves. They have some doubts. They need encouragement that God can still use them. Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, had serious doubts just beneath the surface. Though a priest, He wasn’t sure God could really do what He said, even when told by an angel. That’s a strong doubt. Doubt arises when a person reacts with hesitation or withdrawal when God displays or reveals Himself to them in a manner contradictory to their real beliefs about Him. People see God’s power as non-existent, invisible, manipulative, miraculous, or infinite. When His revelation and our beliefs collide, doubts can weaken our trust in Him and obedience to Him. The can even threaten our participation in His plan. God overcame Zechariah’s doubt and altered the emotions, conversations, and thoughts of those around him… pretty significant world-change. The first steps to seeing God work similarly in our lives is to discover where we are in relationship to God, then to move where He is. Luckily for us, God is undeterred by our doubts. KGP131208 (A131208.1) Right-click here to download the MP3 version.
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