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I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 5th of August, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.
We start in Luke 1:22:
”But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.”
Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, lost his voice until John the Baptist, the baby, was born. Why? Because the Lord said it was because of his unbelief. He was a very old man when the Lord told him that he was going to have a son through Elizabeth, his wife, which he did have, and this was not just any son. If you look at Matthew 11:11, Jesus said:
”Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist;“
Incredible! Zachariah was chosen by God to be the father of the greatest man who ever lived who was born from the womb of a woman, according to Jesus.
I’m a preacher, if I lose my voice, then I’ve lost everything, and I want to tell you about a man who shook South Africa. Yes, I’m talking about Andrew Murray, born a preacher, he had shaken the whole of South Africa. He had been preaching for twenty years non-stop and we could see the results in every small town in South Africa. There is a church that was built through that revival, but he lost his voice, just like Zachariah, and for two years Andrew Murray could not speak.
He even went to Europe to see if they could sort out his vocal chords. They said he must rest. So for two years, a man who had been used by God could not speak. So what did he do? He sat down, there were no crowds, no following, and he started to write and folks, I want to tell you that man wrote some of the greatest theological books ever written on subjects of holiness, on prayer life, of surrendering everything to Jesus, and if there’s a young person listening to this podcast and you want to get a book that will draw you closer to Jesus, get Andrew Murray’s, “Absolute Surrender.”
He got his voice back, but his writing superseded anything he’s ever done. That’s how Jesus works. Sometimes He takes something away because He wants to get our attention. Today, listen to what God is telling you to do and then do it with all your heart.
Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye.