How, Or If?

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

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” – Luke 1:18-20

Someone else asked a similar question, with a very different outcome.

When Gabriel showed up to tell Mary that she would conceive a child, she responded with “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) Instead of making her mute, Gabriel explained that it would be by the Holy Spirit.

So, what’s the difference between Zechariah and Mary?

When Zechariah asked “how can I be sure of this?”, it was a dead giveaway that he needed proof, because he didn’t believe what Gabriel was telling him.

Mary’s question arose not from doubt or unbelief, but from a place of wondering how God was going to accomplish this.

As with most things, it’s a matter of the heart. Zechariah’s contained unbelief, while Mary’s did not.

There is a big difference between wondering how God will do what He said He would do, and wondering if He will do what He said He would do.

Do you have a how in your heart, or an if?