Not How But Who

SCRIPTURE:

OBSERVATION:

What stands out to me in these two verses is that both Zechariah and Mary asked a very similar question: “How will this happen?”

Yet their questions came from very different places.

Zechariah struggled to believe because he looked at his circumstances—his age, Elizabeth, and what seemed naturally impossible. Mary also recognized that what the angel told her was beyond human understanding, but her question was not rooted in disbelief. She was seeking to understand what God was going to do.

This reminds me that faith doesn’t mean I will never have questions. It means my questions don’t have to become conditions for my obedience.

There are times when I can be like Zechariah, looking at my circumstances and saying, “How could this possibly happen?” I can allow what I see, what I know, or what I think is possible to become bigger than what God has said.

But Mary reminds me that I can bring my questions to God without allowing them to become doubt. I don't need to understand how God will accomplish something before I trust that He can.

APPLICATION:

I want to learn the difference between asking God for understanding and asking God for proof.

When God speaks, my response shouldn't be, “Show me how this can work before I'll believe You.” Instead, I want to respond like Mary, “I may not understand this, but I trust You.”

Today, I want to stop measuring God's promises by my circumstances. What looks impossible to me is not impossible for God.

Faith doesn't require me to know how. It requires me to trust Who.

PRAYER:

Jesus, forgive me for the times I have allowed my circumstances to become bigger than Your promises. Give me the humility to ask questions without questioning Your faithfulness. Help me trust You even when I don't understand how You will accomplish what You have spoken. Like Mary, let my response be one of surrender and faith. I may not know how, but I know Who. Amen