In the days of King Herod, lived a certain priest and his wife, Elizabeth. They were a righteous couple who devoutly followed the laws and commandments of the Lord. Both in their old age, had resigned themselves to the fact that Elizabeth was barren and no child would ever be born to them.
One day, as Zacharias was performing his duties as priest and was about to light the incense inside the temple, an angel appeared on the right side of the altar. Zacharias drew back in fear and the angel spoke to him. “Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard and your wife, Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. Many will rejoice with you at his birth and he shall be great in the sight of the Lord. In the same power and spirit of Elias, he will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.”
Zacharias smirked, and said to the angel, “How am I to believe this? I am an old man and my wife is also up in years.”
“I am Gabriel” the angel replied, “God himself sent me to bring you this good news. Because you have not believed me, you shall be struck dumb and unable to speak until these things happen.”
And it came to pass that Elizabeth conceived….and she hid herself for five months. Why, she asked herself, had the Lord decided to bless her this way now? Why not when she was younger and was looked upon with reproach because she was barren?
When she was six months pregnant she felt the baby kick inside her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost and accepted the fact that God had done a great thing and proven that through Him all things are possible. The rest of her pregnancy she spent praising the Lord and preparing for the joys of motherhood.
Soon, their son was born and their family and friends rejoiced with them at the mercy God had shone….just as the angel had said they would.
When the baby was eight days old, they gathered for his circumcision and to choose his name. Most assumed he would be called Zacharias, like his father, but Elizabeth said, “No, he shall be called John.”
“John?” the guests argued, “but there’s no one in your family with that name.”
They motioned to Zacharias to give his opinion and he asked for a tablet to write on. He wrote: His name is John.
At that very second, Zacharias’ tongue was loosed and he was able to speak! He began to praise the Lord.
The people marveled at all the Lord was doing in the lives of this family and the news of it was spread throughout the hill country of Judaea.
The child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the desserts until the day he showed himself to Israel…. and became known as John, the Baptist.
I think we can all relate to Zacharias and his skepticism at what the angel told him. It seems we all doubt at times….not so much maybe do we doubt that God CAN do the impossible, but that He WILL do it, for US as He has done for others. Zacharias paid a price for his unbelief. For a priest, to lose his ability to communicate with the people is quite a big deal. But notice also, that as soon as he affirmed what the angel had said by writing, his name is John, his tongue was loosed and he was able to speak again.
Sometimes, when our prayers go unanswered for a long time, we give up hope and decide to deal with the circumstances we are given….some give up on God completely. We must know that God’s timing is perfect and He knows better than we what is best for us. He always has our best interest at heart so don’t give up, even if we think we’ve passed the age of being productive, anything is possible for God.
I look for and love to hear stories of miracles and answered prayers….especially this time of the year. What better time than the Christmas season for miracles to occur and prayers to be answered? I tell my kids if we look for a miracle or simply an action by God which assures us He is there and He cares for us as individuals, we will never be disappointed. He will show Himself to us in a special way.
As a church we need to be praying for and expecting great things to happen in the weeks ahead. Let us reach out to help those in need and share the good news of Jesus’ love with them by encouraging them to never give up on God. As in the case of Zacharias and Elizabeth, our prayers are heard “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
