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. (Luke:1:13)
The moment Zechariah would have been waiting for all these years had arrived. But still he had a tough time believing what the angel had to say to him. 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) Some of us would have asked the same question. Zechariah has become a man deprived of hope and I believe he would have stopped praying for a child long time ago - the moment he realized that he and his wife had passed the child bearing stage. But here is the best part. The Lord didn't give up on him nor forget his prayers, though they were outdated!
There are times we feel that our prayers are not getting answered because of our unbelief. Though its true, there are certain cases like Zechariah, where the Lord answered prayers in spite of his unbelief. Does that mean that the Lord is partial? No, that's not the point here. The takeaway from this incident is that the Lord is so gracious and kind that He even answers faithless prayers. It's not about Zachariah's lack of faith but the heart of GOD that answers prayer even without faith. GOD answered his prayers as a means to increase his faith. Because of the answered prayer, Zechariah's faith was rekindled and he was drawn closer to GOD like never before. We see him getting filled in the Holy Spirit and prophesying in verses 67-79. We read a similar incident in Acts:12:13-16. Prayers were being offered for the release of Peter, but they wouldn't believe when the servant Rhoda said that Peter was at the door. At the end of the day, the Lord's way of answering prayers are mysterious but one thing is certain - GOD hears and answers our prayers. That is His nature.
Every answered prayer is a stepping stone of faith. Our faith goes up a notch when one of our prayers get answered. So keep praying and don't lose hope.
Blessings!
The moment Zechariah would have been waiting for all these years had arrived. But still he had a tough time believing what the angel had to say to him. 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) Some of us would have asked the same question. Zechariah has become a man deprived of hope and I believe he would have stopped praying for a child long time ago - the moment he realized that he and his wife had passed the child bearing stage. But here is the best part. The Lord didn't give up on him nor forget his prayers, though they were outdated!
There are times we feel that our prayers are not getting answered because of our unbelief. Though its true, there are certain cases like Zechariah, where the Lord answered prayers in spite of his unbelief. Does that mean that the Lord is partial? No, that's not the point here. The takeaway from this incident is that the Lord is so gracious and kind that He even answers faithless prayers. It's not about Zachariah's lack of faith but the heart of GOD that answers prayer even without faith. GOD answered his prayers as a means to increase his faith. Because of the answered prayer, Zechariah's faith was rekindled and he was drawn closer to GOD like never before. We see him getting filled in the Holy Spirit and prophesying in verses 67-79. We read a similar incident in Acts:12:13-16. Prayers were being offered for the release of Peter, but they wouldn't believe when the servant Rhoda said that Peter was at the door. At the end of the day, the Lord's way of answering prayers are mysterious but one thing is certain - GOD hears and answers our prayers. That is His nature.
Every answered prayer is a stepping stone of faith. Our faith goes up a notch when one of our prayers get answered. So keep praying and don't lose hope.
Blessings!
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