Have you ever taken time to think about God’s angels and all they do in the invisible realm? Throughout Scriptures we see angels giving people messages because they are God’s messengers. If an angel gave you a message, what might the angel tell you? In Hebrews 1:14 it says, “Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.[1] Part of caring for people is giving people a message when the Lord determines this is necessary. If you are like most of us, we have never had an angel give us a message, but this does not mean this isn’t happening in the world we live. In Zechariah’s time God had been silent for 400 years so he would have never expected an angel to show up in the temple.
Zechariah, who would be the father of John the Baptist, received a very important message from an angel while working in the temple as a priest. While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord.[2] Luke 1:11-15
People fear angels when they see their glory. It is necessary for the angels tell humans to not be afraid. In our story, Zechariah was trembling when he saw an angel. God was about to step into time in the person of baby Jesus. The son of Zechariah would play a key role leading up to the ministry of Jesus. God would use supernatural means both to announce the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus.
Zechariah was just an ordinary person working in the Kingdom of God and received a message from the Lord. God may surprise you with a new assignment. God works through people and many times it is the average person that He chooses to be part of His plan. Even if an angel does not deliver the message, we can receive messages from God through the work of the Holy Spirit and God’s inspired word.
Listen to the Lord for His message for you!
To hear the story of Zechariah, listen here:
[1, 2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Heb 1:14, Luke 1:11-15). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Good words about angels. I pray we all get an encounter with God even by His angels