Show Me and I Will Believe | September 30th, 2026

Luke 1:59-64
59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name. 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.

Hebrews 11:1, 6
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...6 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.

Zacharias was a priest who served God faithfully, yet when the angel Gabriel announced the fulfillment of his deepest prayer, he asked for a sign before he would believe. God's response was not cruel -- it was corrective. Nine months of silence became nine months of preparation. When Zacharias finally wrote the words "his name is John," his mouth opened immediately and his first words were praise. Discipline from God is never designed to destroy -- it is designed to restore. Like the shepherd who carries the lamb whose legs he has broken until bonding replaces wandering, God's correction draws us closer to him. Faith believes before it sees.  Have you been waiting for God to prove himself before you trust him, when maybe He is actually waiting for you to trust him before he moves?