December 8 – Luke 1:11-15. Your Prayer Has Been Heard.

December 8 – Luke 1:11-15. Your Prayer Has Been Heard.


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.

We’d certainly like to think we would be prepared for God to actually show up, but the truth of the matter is, we’d be startled and gripped with fear.

Zechariah had entered the temple to do his duty in the past and nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened.  He knew that he was supposed to expect God to respond, but he was an old man and experience had taught him that life was what it was.  He would receive his glory from God when he saw Him in heaven.  Right?

Wrong.

Years and years of prayers had gone up to no avail.  But, now all of a sudden, Zechariah has an angel standing before him telling him that his prayers had actually been heard.

He was going to be a father to a son that would be a joy and a delight.  People would rejoice at John’s birth and before he was even born, the Holy Spirit would fill him.

That’s pretty amazing news.

But, that was only the beginning.