Doubt

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (Luke 1:18 NIV)

Have you ever had the answer to a prayer stare you in the face, and yet you were filled with doubt?  It happens all the time, especially for those who ask for signs.  One of my favorite movies is Bruce Almighty.  Near the beginning, Bruce's life is falling apart.  He got fired from his job.  He had a big fight with his girlfriend.  Nothing seemed to be going right.  Frustrated, he go in his car and started driving as he fussed at God.  He challenged God to show he cared by sending a sign.  At that exact moment, a truck pulled out in front of him.  The back of the truck was filled with street signs that said things like:  stop, yield, go back, no enterance, etc.  But Bruce totally missed it, cursing that same truck for cutting him off.

We often ask for signs, but don't really believe God will send one, so we don't see it when he does.  And the same with answered prayer.  We often have a preconceived notion about how God will answer our prayer, so when God takes a different and better approach, we miss it.  Our imaginations are sometimes too limited to see God's work in our lives.

Zechariah simply could not imagine that he and Elizabeth could have a child at this stage of their lives.  And so he doubted.  Doubt is a natural part of faith, but if we could live more with an expectation... the expectation that God will indeed work in our lives and answer our prayers, perhaps we would pay a little more attention and perhaps we will look for possibilities in what we think to be impossible.

Father,
In this season of waiting and hope and expectation, help us to live expectantly... expecting you to answer our prayers... in your time and in your way.  Amen.

Joys:  Houses decorated in lights; Cecelia's excitement... two more "sleeps" until Florida!; Kevin's excitement about moving his family into their first home