Luke 1:20

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.

There are some places like a golf course or a library where silence is both directed and appreciated. People are there for a purpose and any distraction is a thwarting of that purpose. Any noise is considered to be a selfish thievery of another’s ability to concentrate.

However, silence while in the presence and power of God is quite another. The story of Zacharias speaks of a man who was given a promise of a son to be named John. Zacharia doubted this happening as he asked the angel in verse 18, “Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” Hopefully, his wife was outside an arms-length distance. His doubt was justified by his human understanding that conception could not occur because of advanced age.

Doubt is a retardant to others seeing the fullness of God’s power in our life. We have an innate ability to sense out both fear and doubt. Recall the last time you visited a car dealership or encountered anyone trying to sell you something in a department store. The seller had the ability tell you everything about the product he or she is attempting to peddle. This fact is probably the reason most of us answer, “no, we are just looking” when posed by a salesclerk “can I help you?”. We know that no matter our need or what the store actually has in stock, the salesperson will always have something he or she knows will satisfy our stated need. We can see or sense whether the product or service offered is actually something that will be able to meet our need. Any doubt in the face of the seller gives us the doubt our need can be satisfied or met.

We as believers are given the responsibly to be a witness of the saving power of Christ to those around us who have a need. The lost are able to sense any doubt to our genuineness by the way we live our life reflected either by our overt actions or our covert silence. Zacharias was muted by God because of His unbelief of the ability of God to give him a son. The believer lives in a world today in which our silence or open disbelief of the power of our Savior cannot be tolerated. We have been silent long enough of our testimony proclaiming God’s power and faithfulness.

God has done something in our life. We have the confidence and power through the Holy Spirit to give witness of our transformation and His presence. Let us be careful not to allow our actions or our words be construed as doubt of His power. Similarly, we cannot allow our silence be a indicator of His absence in our life. We have the constitutional right to be silent, but a higher spiritual duty not to be!