18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
This might be a dumb question, Zechariah! The angel is standing right in front of you in a place you should be alone and he is telling you these things. Shouldn’t that be enough for you? A minute ago you were scared out of your wits, the fear rioting inside of you, and now you are questioning the content of the angel’s message. Not very smart, Zechariah! The angel knows you are old and that your wife is past child-bearing age. That is what makes an angel’s presence and announcement so important. It has to be God’s intervention for this to take place. So, why again are you asking this question, Zechariah? I would suggest that you wait a few months to see if your wife gets pregnant. That would answer your question. Sometimes questions just need to not be asked. This especially true when God tells you something. Just wait and watch God do His work rather than questioning what you heard. If God said it, it will happen. Questioning does no good. I have noticed that many of our questions directed toward God lack substance. Like Zechariah we are simply restating facts that God already knows. It is pretty silly to try to become God’s teacher. It is OK to ask God questions, but just be sure you are ready for the answer. Zechariah might have thought twice about asking if he had known he was not going to be able to speak for the whole pregnancy. That is a long lesson in humility. But even the result of his questioning brought greater glory to God. The first words spoken after his long silence gave God glory. Maybe we should be silent and then give glory to God.
The Arnold Journey 