But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)

When you’re anxious or you can’t see how something will happen, do you respond in faith or with unbelief?

In Luke 1, the Bible gives us side-by-side examples of one person responding with unbelief and the other in faith. In the first, Zacharias had a wife, Elizabeth, who was barren, and they were well-advanced in years (Luke 1:7). In the second, we see a young woman, Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph (Luke 1:27).

At separate times, an angel of the Lord visited both Zacharias and Mary, announcing news of a baby. And at first glance, the English translation of their responses seems similar.

• Zacharias said, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” (Luke 1:18 NKJV)
• And Mary responded, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34 NKJV)

Yet, if we look at the Greek words, we see how different their responses were. The Greek word for how in their questions is not the same one.

• In Zacharias’s question, the word is kata and means about or according to. So the word how in his question doesn’t give us enough information. When we also look at the Greek word for know, which is ginosko, we see that it means understand.
• But in Mary’s questions, the word for how is pose, which means by what means, in what way.

So, in response to the news, Zacharias couldn’t understand how Elizabeth could have a child because they were old. In essence, he questioned God’s ability. He was filled with unbelief.

In contrast, Mary asked how it would happen. She didn’t question whether God could give her a baby even though she had never been with a man.

As Jon Courson said in his commentary on this passage, “Unlike Zacharias, Mary didn’t question [the angel’s] statement. She simply questioned the methodology.” Mary had faith, while Zacharias didn’t.

So how about you? When given a promise from God that seems impossible, do you respond in faith or with unbelief? Do you believe Him? Or do you doubt? If it’s the latter, ask God to help you with your unbelief. You can pray like the man did in Mark 9:24 (NKJV), “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

After you pray, take time to think about who God is. Remember: He is the One who created the universe just by speaking. That’s why with God, “nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37 NKJV).

Believe that God is who He said He is – the Almighty, all-powerful God. Trust Him. Then rest in God’s promise that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him as you walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash