And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who stands before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time." - Luke 1:18-20
We know the angel's name - Gabriel.
Zechariah asks for a sign and receives one - he is struck mute because he doubted. (Apparently he will also be deaf. We'll see later, when it's time to name the child, that he communicates to the others in sign language, and they communicate that way to him.)
Ever ask for a sign from God? Sure you have. We all do.
But, generally, it's simply not God's way to give dramatic signs in advance.
It's different when you look to the past. You can look back and see signs of the hand of God in your life, because you're able to see a longer stretch and thus recognize certain patterns. It's not so much individual extraordinary happenings, but a combination of various circumstances, each one individually explainable, but all of them combining to take you in a certain direction. A pattern like that didn't happen simply by chance.
Take some time to look back on some of these patterns. Where have you seen the hand of God in your life?
- Little Blue Book, Diocese of Saginaw