Two People Asked How, One Believed

Two people in Luke 1 asked the angel the same kind of question. One of them was believing and the other was not. The difference was not the wording.

Luke 1:34 says, "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" She was not arguing with God. She already had the will, she was asking for the plan.

Luke 1:18 says, "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." That is asking for proof before he would believe. Now notice what God did anyway. John was still born. Zacharias went quiet for a season, but the promise held, because it never rested on his performance.

The gap between knowing God's will and knowing God's plan is where most of the damage happens. Abraham knew God had promised him a son. Genesis 16:2 records what they did with the waiting: "And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be I shall obtain a son by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." Right destination, own route, a lot of pain.

You do not have to work out the how by yourself. The Holy Spirit lives in you specifically to lead you, and asking Him how is not doubt. It is exactly what Mary did. Bring Him the thing you have been trying to force.

God's plan is usually slower and stranger than the one you would have drafted. It is also better, and it does not collapse when you have a Zacharias moment. Ask Him for the how, then move when He speaks.