Have you ever wondered about God’s timing? Maybe you’ve been praying for years for release from an addiction or from a chronic health condition. Maybe you’ve been praying for years for a loved one to come to know Christ as Savior and Lord. You know God’s promise never to leave us or forsake us, but sometimes you feel so alone and confused.
God’s people were in exactly the same situation when Gabriel showed up to talk with Zacharias. It had been 400 years since Malachi prophesied the coming of one who would prepare the way of the Lord (Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6). All that time, God’s people had been watching and praying for the Messiah to come. But in announcing the birth of John the Baptist, God made it clear that He would keep His promise. In just a few months, the messenger would be born, and that meant that the Messiah’s coming couldn’t be much further off.
What does all that mean for us? Simply this – if we are going to trust God to save us from our sins, and if we are going to trust God to tell us what is right and wrong, then we must also trust His timing. We must trust Him to work out His will on His schedule, even if that means we wait for months or even years. For waiting on the Lord is one of the clearest ways that we express our trust in Him.
But this passage also teaches us that we can trust God to answer our prayers, sometimes in miraculous ways. Zacharias and Elizabeth had long ago given up hope of having children, but Gabriel insisted that they would be the parents of God’s promised messenger. Just so, we must remember that nothing is impossible for God. This should in turn fuel our faith and keep us on our knees, even if we have to go on waiting. But as we pray, we must also stay alert – maybe God’s answer will come in a way that will surprise us. Jesus told His disciples to watch and pray, and that’s a good lesson for all of us everyday.
Luke 1:11-17 (KJV)
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
