YOUR PRAYER IS HEARD

Luke 1:13

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard ...”

“Your prayer is heard.” The assurance, Most High God, that You bend Your ear toward the voice of Your children and hear our petitions is one of the most precious truths in scripture. We do not have to come with eloquent words. We do not have to memorize formulas and forms nor recite specific words as though their incantation carries a power of its own. We do not have to travel to a certain spot to lay our requests upon Your altar. We do not have to assume a specific posture. Sometimes, we don’t even have to use words. Oh, Father, You are always with us inclining Your ear to hear the cry of our hearts. How I praise You! Like the psalmist, I say to You – such knowledge is too marvelous for me. Who am I that YOU would be mindful of me?

Zacharias of old met Glory face to face in the holy place of the temple and the angel quieted his fear and told him his prayer had been heard. His. Prayer. His PRAYER had been heard. What prayer? Zacharias had entered the holy place to offer prayer on behalf of the nation but to this point, he had not uttered a word – he had only reverently approached the altar and sprinkled incense upon the coals. So. It wasn’t a current prayer of which the angel spoke. It must have been a prayer of time past. Surely a “righteous” and “blameless” man like Zacharias who had served the Almighty as a priest for all his many numbered years had offered a plethora of prayers in his lifetime. What past prayer did the angel mean?

The angel’s next words reveal the particular prayer.

“ for your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son "

A son! The desire of every Jewish man’s heart. Oh, yes. Zacharias had undoubtedly prayed for a son. But when?  Because of his advanced age and the fact that “the custom of women” no longer came upon Elizabeth, chances are this prayer had not been prayed in recent years! Chances are Zacharias and Elizabeth had long since come to terms with the stigma of her barrenness and given up the hope of having children.  Yes. They had prayed for a child but when the prayer went unanswered for many years, chances are they assumed God had not heard their prayer. My guess would be that after a certain age, the reality of life and the biological impossibility of pregnancy would have encouraged them to give up on this prayer.

Oh, Father, I can relate to Zacharias and Elizabeth. I imagine most believers can.  Many of us have had an earnest plea that we’ve cried out for repeatedly. Over the course of years we begin to wonder if our prayer has been heard. “WAIT” is such a difficult answer to receive. We are so prone to crave instant gratification. Our self-centered humanity wants what we want, WHEN we want it.  We pray and when we do not receive the answer we want, we grow stale, our faith wanes, and we become hopeless. Oh, Father, forgive us! Your ways are not our ways. Your thoughts are not our thoughts – they are SO much higher. Your timing is always perfect!

Lord, You never missed a single sincere petition from the children of Israel as they cried out for Messiah. Nor did You miss a solitary plea from the aching hearts of a childless couple. When the physical reality of having a son looked impossible for Zacharias and Elizabeth, You proved to them, and the world, that nothing is too hard for You. Nothing is too difficult for You. Nothing is impossible for You!!

Oh, Mighty God, what comfort this example brings to my life today. I can rejoice knowing that You have heard every prayer I have ever prayed. I can renew my prayers for situations that look impossible to my natural mind and know that NOTHING is too hard or too difficult for You. I can pick up my deflated dreams and bring them to You over and over again. I do not have to focus on what IS. Because You are WHO You are – El Gibbor, the Mighty God for whom NOTHING is impossible – I can focus on what CAN BE instead of what is. I can have faith to believe beyond the obvious “it can’t be done” to the actual reality that with You all things are possible. 

Strengthen my faith to revive old petitions that I may have given up on. I don’t mean the things You have clearly said “no” about, Master. Those things I want to humbly accept because I trust You and am confident You know best. But there are prayers, Lord, that I know are in Your will because they are clearly in line with what Your word tells me. Those prayers, Master – let me NEVER give up on those. Keep me from growing weary or mechanical in lifting those petitions to You. Help me walk faithfully with You even though I may feel disappointment in the waiting. Help me grab hold of Your promises and claim them with the boldness of a courageous warrior.  Let me never doubt what You have for me.

Jesus, You came as a baby at Christmas and I see reminders of that fact all around me. You are Emmanuel – God with us. I am confident in that truth. I see it. I’ve experienced it.  You’ve said,

“Surely I am coming soon.” Revelation 22:20

You are the Coming King. You are the King of Kings. You are the Lord of Lords. I am confident in that truth too. I see the signs all around me. Help me adorn myself as a bride for her bridegroom – pure and clean – prepared and ready.

 Even so, COME, Lord Jesus!