Morning by Morning, December 12 - No Doubting, Mumbling Words
Good morning, Lord Jesus. King of Kings, Lord of Glory, You are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. I glorify You, honor You, and praise You as I begin my day speaking Your name and listening for Your voice. ...
"Zechariah said to the angel, 'How will I know that this is so (that my wife and I will have a son as you said)? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.' The angel replied, 'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur'" (Luke 1:18-20).
Words matter. Whether words of faith or words of doubt, words matter. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" (Proverbs 18:21). As You said, "By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:37).
So You call us to speak words of spirit and life in faith, not wavering with doubt, as we listen to hear Your heart so that what we speak in faith will come to pass in its time, according to Your will. "Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if do not doubt in your heart but believe what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours'" (Mark 11:22-24). These are Your red-letter words right out of the written Word of God. So these words are true and they can be trusted -- "Every word of God proves true" (Proverbs 30:5).
The words coming out of Zechariah's mouth were not words of faith, not words of spirit and life. They were words of doubt and death. So the angel Gabriel shut his mouth! Before Zechariah could utter another mumbling word, he received the gift of the mercy of God to be silent in his foolishness and faithlessness. His doubting words would not interfere with the faithful promises of God. And in its time, the word of the Lord spoken to Zechariah through Gabriel did come to pass, just as he said and just as You willed. "The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.... (Zechariah) asked for a writing tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God!" (Luke 1:57-64).
Lord, in Your mercy, shut my mouth from uttering mumbling words of doubt and unbelief. Sanctify my tongue and my faith to speak the word and will of God in words of spirit and life. Help me hear what You're saying in prayer and speak what You're saying in obedience, not doubting in my heart but believing what I say with expectant faith to see it come to pass, all in its time and all by Your grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Let my mouth be opened and my tongue freed to speak and praise my God! Amen.
My friend, may you speak words of spirit and life that flow out of your times of prayer and communion with God to hear His voice and share His heart, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer. I write these from my morning prayer time most every day and send them out right away. If you would like to have a collection of these as a 365 Day Prayer Journal for you or a friend, please order a copy today. God bless you!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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