Because once out of the mouth, words cannot be taken back.
"Enmity between seeds would come, and a heel would be bruised (Genesis 3).
"Abraham's seed will possess the gate of our enemies, and bless all the nations (Genesis 22).
"A child will be born, a son will be given; and the government will rest on His shoulders; His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. His government of peace will never end; His kingdom will be established with justice and righteousness, because God's zeal will be accomplished (Isaiah 9).
The Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant is coming (Malachi 3)".
Zacharias had prayed. Had they been meaningless repetition prayers, like the ones Jesus would later call out in Matthew 6?
I really don't think they were.
Gabriel said, "Your petition has been heard, Zacharias".
Specifics petitions, like: old age...barren wife...a son to inherit the family name.
"There's no room for fear here, Zach! These are promise-words! Joy! Gladness! Rejoicing by many! Holy Spirit-filling! Hearts are going to be turned back to the hearts of their fathers!"
The very words that left God's mouth were written down by Malachi the prophet; His promise in ink forever.
But the crushing question still follows from the one who had stopped believing the promise words: How will I know for certain?
And once again, the words cannot be taken back by the sender.
Doubt words. Fear-filled words. Words that still sound unfulfilled without the substance in front of the eyes. Promise-void for lack of a child in the arms.
The just busting to speak angel cries out, "Because I stand in the very presence of God!! And I've been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news!!"
Because words mean something, and when they come from God's mouth they are promises that will never/can never be broken.
Uncertain words often seep through our own lips, and open the world's ears to doubt.
Some will acquaint themselves with those words because they are so familiar to their own.
Some will push back on them and offer words of faithful God-truth's in their place, because they choose to hold to what has also become familiar to them in their silent, Bible-reading moments.
Still others will question whether their petitions are even heard by the Promise Giver, because they have no priestly position from which to request them.
But in the end--and from the beginning--the circumstances of this world were set in motion by one thing only: just one word from God's mouth: Let.
Creation-words then followed from His lips, and it was so.
Promise-words about a Savior rang from angel mouths, and He came.
I know this for certain, Zacharias, because there is joy, there is gladness, there is good news, and the child you thought impossible prepared His way.
Like Zacharias, if we only go to prayer "according to custom", if we stop believing God's promise-words and cling only to our own empty syllables, if we stand at the prayer altar and lack the faith to pour our heart-hurts into the refining fire and trust those old, promised, unchanging words in our tear-stained Bibles,...we too will not know for certain.
Believe My words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.
Because His words are worth believing in.
Because His words will not be taken back.
Because His words will change the faith-lacking heart.
Because His words are about His plan...His story...and we are all invited in to play a small part.
We won't change the story, but the story will change us.
Just believe it. I promise, it is for certain.
