In the time of Herod.. there was a priest named Zechariah.. he and his wife Elizabeth were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children.. and they were both well on in years.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot.. to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar.. 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 give him the name 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.. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on .. to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

(Lk 1.5-17, extract)

Is there something that you have been praying about for many years? An abiding ache that just won’t go away, and which over and over again brings you before the Lord in hope and also submission to his will… Many of us will have burdens which, like Zechariah and Elizabeth’s natural desire for a son, have remained heavy upon us. Perhaps, also like them, you have known God’s grace enabling you to bear that burden, hour by hour and day by day, even year by year. Have you ever thought that in that process of regularly coming before the Lord with your wound, your need and desire, you are putting yourself right at the throne of grace and mercy? This position of humble submission and petition before the Almighty is just the right place, the place where we are leaning completely on his promises, his power and his goodness, and laying our own desires in surrender before him, to do as he sees fit.

It is in that growing relationship – the long process of time lived with unanswered prayer which we keep on bringing to God in faith – that we are being shaped by God’s spirit. That very burden which weighs so heavily upon us, is the means by which God is working to create in us the glory of Christ-likeness, as we return again and again in trust and dependence to him. I can speak personally to the truth of this lesson; for many years, it seemed I was praying the same thing over and over again – and that’s the whole point, I was praying!! For many years, it seemed the answer was not resolution of the problem, but abundant and fresh anointings of grace – which I was able to receive because I was sitting at the throne of grace and mercy begging for help.. I learnt so much about prayer, and I believe that those years have seen a real work of God in shaping my thinking and deepening faith.

We can picture Zechariah, faithfully fulfilling his duties, probably not expecting anything out of the ordinary, but prayerful and conscious of the privilege of serving in the temple at this time. And then, suddenly the extraordinary, the outrageous happens, and he is confronted by a divine being, a terrifying outbreak of glory into his normality, one bringing the utterly unexpected word of an answer to years of prayer and surrender.

Is it not beautiful, how the Lord’s messenger immediately and tenderly speaks to reassure this mature and yet terrified man? In all his dealings with us, these words are perhaps a constant undercurrent – ‘do not be afraid’, and why not? Because the one who speaks is the one who knows and loves us, and who has plans to bless and make us fit for glory; who will be with us and keep us through every circumstance until he takes us home. Whether that blessing and sustaining comes through years of living with unanswered prayers; or through miraculous provision and fulfillment of our petitions, yet still we can face the future without fear. We are loved; we are accepted; we are heard and seen with all our unique qualities – and our Almighty God IS working in and through us to build his kingdom and bring glory to his name.

These are words from the prayer of Zechariah, after the miraculous child, John, was born; we can make them ours today as we rejoice with him in our good, faithful, fear-quenching God.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us.. salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.. to rescue us… and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days!