Align Your Words

“And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.” – Luke 1:64 Yesterday, I shared the story of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. When an angel told him that he and his wife would have a child in old age, Zechariah responded with doubt: “I’m too old, and my wife is too old.” The angel silenced him for nine months. Was this a blessing or a curse? It was a blessing—Zechariah couldn’t speak words of doubt that might cancel the miracle. We’re made in God’s image; God speaks, and worlds are created. Jesus teaches us that even with little faith, our words matter. Who remembers the first word Zechariah said? Well, I should say wrote. They wanted to name the baby Zechariah, after his father, and what does Zechariah do? But his wife insisted, “He will be called John.” The name John means