Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 1:18, 20, 34, 38

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 1:18, 20, 34, 38

"And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

I wanted to compare the two different answers when the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias and Mary. Both events required faith to believe in the angel's message. Zacharias ask how he would know this? I can see how that answer shows doubt. At first I couldn't until I compared him to Mary. Gabriel told Zacharias he was an angel sent from the presence of God, and he was sent to speak to him. He told him by what authority he was there. What Zacharias didn't seem to grasp was he was speaking to an angel sent from God. God cannot lie so the message would be true. Seeing that Zacharias served in the temple it made me wonder if he didn't know how to test an angel? Because Zacharias doubted he was made dumb, being unable to speak.

Mary showed her faith by asking how it would be done. As I reflected on this I could see how that showed faith because she didn't doubt it could happen, she just wanted to know how it would take place. The angel then explained it to her.

This reminded me of other stories in the scriptures when God has spoken to his servants, and given them assignments.

"And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.

And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?

And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools."

(1 Nephi 17:8-10)

"And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.

And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.

And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood."

(Ether 2:18-20)

This shows me that God does not mind if we ask how to do something. He will require at times that we study it out and come back to him with a plan. The important this is to ask if faith.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

(James 1:5)

Day 3133