20 September 2025
Daily Devotion:
"Doubt and Disbelief"
Luke 1:18
New Living Translation
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
What do you do when times are difficult? When you've trusted until you're tired and you've endured until you're empty? What's your response when well-meaning folkstoss “For those who love God all things work together for good” your way like it's a magic cure-all for whatever ails you (Romans 8:28 Esv)? If you're Zechariah, you say, “Prove it.”
It's easy enough to judge him, but who hasn't, at some point, yearned for just a little tangible reassurance? Maybe you're trying to pay your bills from an empty bank account. Or you've been sitting with someone you love, and he or sheis fading fast.
Sometimes He takes pity on us. He hears our doubts and lets us touch the scars (John 20:24-27). There is joy for those who are able to believe even when they can't see (John 20:29) and who simply take God at His Word (Luke 1:45). Let's takeour cue from Mary and joyfully say, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38 ESV).
