Flashback Episode — When Prayers Are Not Answered: Luke 1:5-25

As we start into another year of moving through Jesus’ life, it feels a little strange looking at passages many of us probably have heard or read as recently as last month during the Christmas season. However, while these portions of the gospels seem to be reserved for reading during the month of December, the beginning of Jesus’ story on earth has much more to teach us than simply the fact that He was born.

But before touching on Jesus’ own birth story, the gospel of Luke describes another significant birth, and it is in this event that we can see some powerful insights that are relevant for everyone living today, regardless of the time of year we are in.

The event we are focusing on in this episode can be found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 1, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 5, Luke tells us that:

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷ But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

I want to pause briefly because what Luke tells us about Zechariah and Elizabeth is incredibly profound. Luke tells us that this priest and his wife were righteous in God’s eyes, and at least part of the reason for this is that they observed all of God’s commandments and decrees blamelessly. While this doesn’t mean they had never sinned, it does mean they were living right within the path God would have them live.

However, being close with God and right within His will didn’t bring an answer to a specific prayer that they both likely would have had. For years, this couple probably prayed to God asking for a child, asking for Elizabeth to be healed and to be able to conceive, and it appears at this point in their lives that God has said “no” to their request.

But the biggest idea I want to draw our attention to about this couple is that even when it felt like God was saying “no”, both husband and wife remained faithful, obedient, and trusting that God knew best. While they didn’t know that the “no” answer was really a “not yet” response, when God sends an angel to finally answer this prayer, it seems unbelievable.

Picking back up in verse 8, let’s continue and learn what happened when God sent an answer to this prayer:

⁸ Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹ he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ 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.”

¹⁸ Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ 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.”

When receiving this message from an angel, Zechariah’s first response was asking for some sort of sign or guarantee that it would happen. While it is easy for us to be critical of Zechariah’s response and lack of faith, we too can fall into the similar trap of giving up on God when it seems as though our prayers are not answered. Too often, we don’t hold onto God long enough to see the answer to our prayer.

In Zechariah’s case, Gabriel the angel actually gives him a clear sign. We might look at being silent and unable to speak as a punishment for Zechariah’s response, but in reality, this sign was well within the realm of what Zechariah requested. Zechariah wanted some proof that the angel’s promise would come true, and the sign he received would go forward with him until John’s birth.

However, in my own mind, I see this sign being something for more than just Zechariah and Elizabeth. Throughout Jerusalem, the story would spread about the priest who saw an angel and was struck mute. This would shine the spotlight on John’s birth, and give those living in that generation the message that John’s life and ministry would be significant in God’s plan.

Looking at this event from a different angle, when I read about what happened, this event points out that the first person God breaks the silence towards is a priest who has faithfully obeyed Him and who has a prayer that needs to be answered. From between the close of the Old Testament and the start of the New Testament, there was about 400 years where God seemed silent.

While during that time, God was not absent in the lives of His people, and during these 400 years of silence, prayers were being answered, during the time between the two Testaments, no messengers or prophets came from God, and as far as I know, no angels visited with messages from God either. This means that the priests would be the first to officially learn that God was opening up communication with His people, and that He was about to step into history in a big way. It’s too bad that most of the priests missed seeing the significance of what was about to happen within the next few decades.

As we come to the close of our first podcast of the new year, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

If it feels like God is silent or ignoring your prayers, don’t give up on Him. Instead, choose to be like Zechariah and Elizabeth and press forward in obedience. While we don’t always know why God answers or doesn’t answer prayers, this shouldn’t stop us from trusting that He knows something we don’t. Perhaps our prayers are like Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayer and God is waiting for the right time to send us an answer.

Also, intentionally pray and study the Bible for yourself. Don’t assume that just listening to a podcast or attending church is enough for your relationship with God. God wants to teach us so much more than we could ever learn in a public or podcast setting, and it begins by setting aside time for personal prayer and bible study.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!