[13] The angel said, 

"Don't be afraid, Zechariah. 

Your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son and you must name him John."

Luke 1:13 CEB

Going into the temple alone to light incense expecting solitude and meeting an angel is extraordinary and not surprisingly, frightening.

And extraordinary.

But the message is not so extraordinary - "your prayers have been heard, and this is what will happen".

Answers to prayer can seem ordinary, they can make us face our fears, perhaps take away our fears, invite us to address our fears. Perhaps the thing God is inviting you towards, the change He is nudging you for, the direction shift, the action He is prompting you to take, has fear attached to it.

Fear of the Unknown.

Fear of Failure.

Fear of what others will say, or think.

Doubt.

Self-doubt.

We're in good company with Zechariah today, and perhaps the Angel's words today will be of some help as we face our fears and hear God's call:

"Don't be afraid...

Your prayers have been heard."

#advent

#Christmas 

#redemptivestrands 

#GodsLoveisEnough