Questioning God

"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

Zechariah was a righteous man. He was a priest who served at the temple of God. One day he was chosen to enter the temple by himself to burn incense. There he encountered the angel Gabriel who told him that his wife Elizabeth would have a son. Elizabeth had been barren her entire life and was now past her child bearing years. But the son that they would have would be John the Baptist, the one who would announce the coming of Christ. But Zechariah experienced a moment of unbelief. He questioned the plan of God. Gabriel told him that because of his unbelief, he would not be able to speak until the child was born. So for many months, he was unable to speak about the good news that was happening to him. 
    Sometimes, we are like Zechariah. We know that God has a plan for our lives. We understand that we are created and called for a specific purpose. But then when we are on the edge of receiving it, we question God. We are so insecure that we tell God we are not qualified to do what he has promised. We may say that we are unworthy to receive what he wants to give us. So we question God and end up suffering the consequences. 
    If Zechariah had simply believed and received what God was doing, he would have been much happier during the process. You see, there was a bit of a waiting time until the promise was fulfilled. That time could have been a wonderful celebration. Instead, it was a difficult time. The first thing Zechariah did after the child was born and he received his voice again, was to praise God. I wonder what would have happened if he had been able to praise God all the way through the process? He was a righteous man, but a moment of unbelief and doubt interrupted the joy. 
    Don't give up on the plans you know God has for you. When the moment of promise comes, never doubt God. No matter how incredible it seems, he will do what he promises. God's will is set. It is impossible to interrupt. What he has said he will do. So why not receive the promise and walk through the process with joy and praise? Instead of suffering through the waiting period, you can go through it with joy and praise. This is much better. It is the plan of God for us to praise him even while we wait for the promise to be fulfilled. It's a much better way than questioning God.