‘And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news”‘ (Luke 1:19 ESV).
Gabriel, the angel who appeared to Zechariah, was no ordinary messenger. He was one who stood in the very presence of God. His message was not his own, but a divine proclamation straight from the throne of heaven. Yet, Zechariah, a priest serving in the Temple, doubted the words of this heavenly messenger. Perhaps Gabriel was taken aback by Zechariah’s unbelief, after all, both of them had a role in the presence of God. However, there was a significant difference: Gabriel stood unhindered before God’s glory, while Zechariah ministered before the altar of incense, separated by a thick curtain from the Holy of Holies.
That curtain symbolized the barrier between humanity and God’s presence—a barrier that Jesus would ultimately remove through His death on the cross. When He died on the cross, the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying that those who believe in Christ now have direct access to God’s presence.
Today, we serve a God who invites us into His presence, not from behind a veil, but boldly and personally through Jesus. When doubts creep in, we must remember that our faith rests not in our circumstances but in the unshakable truth of God’s Word. Just as Gabriel’s message was trustworthy, so are the promises God has given us in Scripture. Today, let us approach God with confidence, knowing that in Christ, the separation is removed, and we are welcomed before His throne.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for making a way for us to enter Your presence through Jesus. Forgive us when we doubt Your promises and struggle to trust in Your Word. Strengthen our faith, and help us to boldly approach You with confidence, knowing that You hear our prayers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle” (Numbers 20:8 ESV).
There were two occasions when God empowered Moses to call forth water from the rock. The first was at Horeb, early in the Israelites 40 year trek through the wilderness. At that time, Moses was instructed by God to “strike the rock,” and water would come out of it for the people to drink (Ex.17). And Moses obeyed. Some 38 years later, the children of the generation who had complained against Moses at Horeb, now complained at Meribah. The sins of the fathers were passed on to the sons. Complaining is catching.
This second time, God told Moses to “speak to the rock” and it would yield water. But Moses disobeyed. Nearly 40 years of the Israelites’ complaining had no doubt taken a toll on him. So Moses, took his rod and struck the rock twice, yelling, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” (Num. 20:10). Moses acted out of frustration and anger. He not only struck the rock rather than speaking to it, he took credit for the miracle: “Must we fetch water for you?”
The Lord still honored Moses before the people, allowing water to gush forth from the rock in spite of his disobedience. But Moses and Aaron would pay the price for not considering the Lord’s holiness before the people. Neither of them would enter the Promised Land.
The issue is not whether to “speak or strike.” The issue is about obeying God’s Word and giving Him all the credit for what that obedience brings forth. The issue is whether we will act out of frustration or faith.
PRAYER: Dear Father, forgive us when we act out of frustration rather than faith. We do not want to take the glory for that which You have accomplished in our lives. We give You all the glory. Help us to walk by faith today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught” (Luke 1:3-4 NLT).
Luke addressed both his gospel as well as the book of Acts to a man named “Theophilus,” whose name means “lover of God.” Luke addressed him with the title, “honorable,” or “most excellent,” which would imply that he was a person of prominence. Some have suggested that Theophilus was a man of wealth and position that Luke had been discipling in the faith. Perhaps he had offered to underwrite the expense of publishing Luke’s gospel and the book of Acts as well, which means that Luke addressed both of these books to him as his patron. The cost of copying these two works, so that they could be shared among the churches would have been great. There was no printing press, so the cost of copyists and paper was very high.
At any rate, Luke the physician, under the inspiration of the Spirit, offered a very well-researched and “accurate account” of the gospel of Jesus and the history of the early church. And we are able to hold this account in our hands and read it with our eyes and receive it into our hearts today!
Thank you Lord for inspiring Luke. Thank you Luke for your careful investigation and writing. And thank you Theophilus for your patronage. I suppose there’s a lot of other people who we will have time to thank in eternity for carrying the gospel to us today!
PRAYER: Dear Father, we give You thanks for Your Word. For without it we would have no knowledge of our Savior, nor of salvation. Strengthen us to carry the gospel to the next generation that they may know You too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David wrote this psalm while he was on the run from King Saul and nearly captured by the Philistines in Gath. Everywhere David turned, enemies pursued him. Yet, he trusted in God, determined not to live in fear.
He asked the rhetorical question: “What can mere mortals do to me?” Which begs the answer: “Nothing!” When we put our trust in God, man cannot do anything to us. For the Lord is our shield and defender.
This is more than a motto for our money. It is a philosophy for life. In God we trust!
PRAYER: Dear Father, we put our trust not in worldly wealth, nor our own human efforts, but in You. For You alone are God. And You are able to deliver us to the uttermost. We seek Your approval and Your applause and not the approval of man. Help us to keep our eyes stayed on You alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David wrote this psalm while he was on the run from King Saul and nearly captured by the Philistines in Gath. Everywhere David turned, enemies pursued him. Yet, he trusted in God, determined not to live in fear.
He asked the rhetorical question: “What can man do to me?” Which begs the answer: “Nothing!” When we put our trust in God, man cannot do anything to us. For the Lord is our defender.
This is more than a motto for our money. It is a philosophy for life. In God I trust!
PRAYER: Dear Father, we put our trust not in worldly wealth, nor our own human efforts, but in You. For You alone are God. And You are able to deliver us to the uttermost. We seek Your approval and Your applause and not the approval of man. Help us to keep our eyes stayed on You alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.
There were two “water from the rock” miracles under Moses’ wilderness ministry. The first was at Horeb, early in the Israelites 40 year trek. In this, Moses was instructed by God to “strike the rock,” and water would come out of it for the people to drink (Ex.17:1-7). And Moses obeyed. Some 38 years later, the children of the generation who had complained against Moses, complained of no water again. The sins of the fathers are passed on to the sons. Complaining is catching.
The second time, God told Moses to “speak to the rock” and it would yield water. But Moses disobeyed. Nearly 40 years of the Israelites’ complaining had no doubt taken a toll on him. So Moses, took his rod and struck the rock twice, yelling, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” (Num. 20:10). Moses acted out of frustration and anger. He not only struck the rock rather than speaking to it, he took credit for the miracle: “Must we fetch water for you?”
The Lord still honored Moses before the people, allowing water to gush forth from the rock in spite of his disobedience. But Moses and Aaron would pay the price for not considering the Lord’s holiness before the people. Neither of them would enter the Promised Land.
The issue is not whether to “speak or strike.” The issue is about obeying God’s Word and giving Him all the credit for what that obedience brings forth.
When men and circumstances were all against him, David wrote this psalm. He had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the king of Israel, yet he still hid from King Saul’s attempts to kill him. And now, at the writing of this psalm, he had been seized by the Philistines. It certainly didn’t appear that “God was for” David. Yet, David still trusted God and His Word. God’s anointing and promise ultimately were fulfilled in David, and he became Israel’s greatest king. Do you ever question whether God is for you? Do not be dismayed. Learn from David who trusted God in spite of circumstances. Put your trust in Jesus, Son of David and Son of God. He is for you.
Luke addressed both his gospel as well as the book of Acts to a man named “Theophilus,” whose name means “lover of God.” Luke addressed him with the title, “most excellent,” which would imply that he was a person of prominence. Some have suggested that Theophilus was a man of wealth and position that Luke had been discipling in the faith. Perhaps he had offered to underwrite the expense of publishing Luke’s gospel and the book of Acts as well, which means that Luke addressed both of these books to him as his patron. The cost of copying these two works, so that they could be shared among the churches would have been great. There was no printing press, so the cost of copyists and paper was very high. At any rate, Luke the physician, under the inspiration of the Spirit, offered a very well-researched and “orderly account” of the gospel of Jesus and the history of the early church. And we are able to hold this account in our hands and read it with our eyes and receive it into our hearts today!
The angel that appeared to Zechariah in the temple and foretold the birth of John the Baptist was no common messenger. He was Gabriel, one of the angelic host that continuously stood in the very presence of God. He did not appreciate the doubtful questioning of old Zechariah. He identified himself, delivered the divine message, and stilled Zechariah’s doubting tongue until it could speak faithfully again. Perhaps Gabriel was surprised by Zechariah’s unbelief since they both had similar jobs. For while Gabriel stood before God’s heavenly throne, Zechariah stood burning incense before God’s presence in His earthly Temple. Yet, there was a curtain in the Temple separating Zechariah from the Holy of Holies, while Gabriel stood in the burning presence of God’s very throne. When Jesus died on the cross, that curtain was torn, so that those who believe on Him may boldly approach God’s throne with all our requests.
David probably wrote this psalm while hiding in the cave of Adullam. This after fleeing from Saul to the Philistine King Achish of Gath, then fleeing from him as well when the reception turned dangerous. While every circumstance around David turned negative, he still didn’t blame it on God. He still believed that God was for him. David decided to place his trust in God rather than man. A broken and scared David went into that cave, but a man who believed that if God was for him, no one could stand against him emerged. Have you ever met with God in a cave?