Luke 1:13

New International Version (NIV)

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

For meditation

They were earnestly praying for Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12:5). Times like that demand that the church come together to seek the Lord’s delivering grace; so many of the disciples gathered in the house of Mary the mother of John Mark, “and were praying” (12). I am sure they had faith to believe God for a miracle. We all do when we pray; but what happens when God surprises us with a quick or late response? The miracle the disciples were expecting that day happened, and Peter was released by an angel (8-10). Their answer stood at the outer gate knocking, but when Rhoda announced the good news to them, they said she was out of her mind (15).

In another instance, a priestly couple prayed for a child until they passed child-bearing age. They may have been disappointed, but they remained faithful in service and prayer. The time came for the coming of the Messiah, and as part of the preparation for His coming, Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth received the answer to their long forgotten prayer for a child. The old priest was shocked into disbelief, and as a result, received a punishment and a sign that made him dumb until the birth of John, the forerunner of Jesus (Lk. 1:8-22, 64).

Two prayers, two different time frames for their answers – one immediately answered miraculously, and the other, delayed and held for a special season.

1. Is there any prayer we offer to the Lord that goes unanswered?
2. Is God so insensitive and uncaring to our needs that He would turn a deaf ear to our cry?
3. Has he not demonstrated through the pages of the Bible that He is a prayer answering God but reserves the time, circumstances, and nature of His answer to Himself?
4. Isn’t it sweet and wonderful when, by his grace, our faith carries us to the fullness of time when God comes through for us (Gal. 4:4)?
5. Are you not glad to know that God may have held back the answer to your prayer for a special season, and may shock you one day soon, as He shocked Zechariah?

I pray that even though doubt may assail us in the short or long term, as exemplified in the two stories; we will be encouraged to keep hoping and trusting for God’s grace, and be open to His answer at any time, in accordance to His sovereign will.

So: This Christmas, may God visit you with a surprising gift; and may the joy of the occasion light your home and bring you renewed strength for the coming year.

The answer to your prayer may have been held for a special season like this Christmas.

Shalom