December 15: A Lifelong Prayer — Answered!
♫ Music:
Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. ”
Luke 1:11-17
A LIFELONG PRAYER—ANSWERED!
This fascinating scripture has so much depth and richness to it and sets the stage for the amazing miracle to come. The backstory to this passage positions the priest Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, up in years, barren and dishonored in the culture because of it. Yet if you read vs 6, they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments. Evidently they had been praying for God’s blessing of a child, probably for many years. And up until this point that prayer had gone unanswered. Do you ever feel that life is unfair? It must have been Zacharias’ and Elizabeth’s daily conversation! My guess is that they had prayed that prayer so many times they grew weary of it.
The very fact that Zacharias’ apparent blessings were about to change is apparent, as he drew the lot to perform the priestly service of burning incense in the temple. This possibly once in a lifetime experience, had to be an encouragement! And then it happened! Gabriel, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias… and Zacharias was afraid. Now, angels must really be used to this as we see it time and time again in scripture. Practicing what all angels must learn in angel school, Gabriel begins with “do not be afraid!”
Then he lay on Zacharias the news he had been waiting to hear, perhaps for a lifetime, “Elizabeth is going to bear you a son!” Gabriel continued, “you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth and he will be great in the sight of the Lord!” Then perhaps the greatest promise and hope a priest could hear about his son, “he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God and be a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah. To turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Wow… what a birth announcement!
Did you hear it? Gabriel was saying Zacharas’ son would do all of the things that he valued and desired to accomplish as a priest in the Lord’s service! A son will be yours with the same heart that you have for God and he will prepare the way for the Lord! How could any parent ask for more? This was an amazing answer to prayer and a stellar moment and all around great day for Zacharias and Elizabeth!
Do you feel like you have prayed a lifetime for God’s blessing in a particular area of your life and the prayers have gone unheard and unanswered? I hope this passage is an encouragement to you to know that God hears and answers prayers in His way and in His time. And, what he may have for you could be so far beyond what you had hoped and dreamed that you won’t believe it and will be left speechless… Just like Zacharias in vs 18. But that’s a lesson for another day!
Rick Bee, Senior Director, Alumni Relations
FATHER, Once I had such big dreams, so much anticipation of the future. Now no shimmering horizon beckons me . . . . Where is your plan for my life? You have told us that without vision, we perish. So, Father in heaven . . . deposit in my mind and heart that particular dream, the special vision You have for my life and along with the dream, will You give me whatever graces, patience, and stamina it takes to see the dream through to fruition? I sense that may involve adventures I have not bargained for. Lord, break down any prisons of mind so that I can see the stars and catch the vision. Begin the process now. In joyous expectation. Amen
Catherine Marshall
St. John the Baptist, 1604
Michelangelo de Caravaggio (1571-1610),
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MI
About the Art and Artist
Michelangelo Merisi or Amerighi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) was an Italian artist who painted prolifically between 1592 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human condition, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of light and dark known as chiaroscuro, had a formative influence on the Baroque school of painting. John the Baptist was the subject of at least eight different Caravaggio paintings. The brooding melancholy of the Nelson-Atkins Baptist has attracted the attention of almost every commentator. It seems, indeed, as if Caravaggio instilled in this image an element of the essential pessimism of the Baptist's preaching, of the senseless tragedy of his early martyrdom, and perhaps some measure of the artist's own troubled spirit.
About the Musician
Born into a musical family Canadian, Steve Bell has been performing and touring since he was eight years old. As Steve’s father was a prison chaplain, it was federal prisoners in Drumheller Penitentiary who taught the young boy to play guitar at an early age. Mr. Bell has created 16 albums including two specifically Christmas albums. He has toured worldwide throughout Canada, the United States, Thailand, India, the Philippines, Poland, Bulgaria, and throughout the Caribbean.
Website: http://stevebell.com/
The Angel Gabriel Lyrics:
I have not seen the angel Gabriel
Standing at the right side of the altar
Saying that important line of angels
Do not be afraid
I have not heard the angel Gabriel
Telling me my prayer has been answered
That my heart’s desire has been granted
An my wife will bear a son
But I have been answered
And I have been promised
In words that cannot be spoken
And the tender mercies of our God
Has caused the rising son to shine upon us
To guide our feet into the path of peace
I was not there when the angel Gabriel
Visited the village of Nazareth
Home of a young maiden he addressed
As the highly favoured one
I did not hear the angel Gabriel
Promise what could not be imagined
Answered by a faith without fathom
Let what you have said be done