In Luke 1:5-7, we’re told of a very old righteous couple, a priest named Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, who were childless. Yet Zechariah continued to pray for a child.
One day, while serving as a priest, burning incense in the temple with worshippers praying outside, after all those years of praying, God answered him (Luke 1:8-10).
“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 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. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord’” (Luke 1:11-17).
Still, he doubted God. “Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years’” (Luke 1:18).
Zechariah learned a hard lesson that day. “The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time’” (Luke 1:19-20).
As the story goes, Elizabeth conceived, and Zechariah remained speechless throughout her pregnancy (Luke 1:23-25). After his birth, “Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all amazed. Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God” (Luke 1:63-64).
Zechariah teaches fathers to keep praying, expecting God to answer, and, when He does, to believe Him.
Photo Credit: ©OpenAI’s DALL-E
