The Prayer

“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.” – Luke 1:11-15

Couple of things.

The number of times people were filled with fear when an angel showed up makes me think a lot of us have the wrong idea about angels. They come from another realm, a realm in which they battle demons and stand before the throne of God, waiting to be dispatched as His messengers. I don’t think they’re soft and effiminate looking, playing a harp. But that’s just my opinion. Feel free to have your own.

“… your prayer has been heard.” There are a few possibilities here as to what the angel meant by “your prayer.”

• Zechariah, even in his old age, was still praying for a son;
• The angel was referring to prayers that had once been prayed, but are prayed no longer;
• Or, the “prayer” in question wasn’t for a son at all, but was the prayer Zechariah was praying in his role as a priest. Very likely a prayer for Israel’s redeemer to come.

If it was the first one, well, good on Zechariah for sticking with it.

If the second, what hope that should give us, to know that prayers we once prayed are still before the Lord. Still awaiting His answer. Not dead and forgotten in the heavens, even if so in our heart.

And if it’s the last one, that would mean that God was actually answering two prayers at the same time. Because surely Zechariah had, at one time, prayed for a son. And surely, as a priest, he would have offered up prayers for Israel’s redeemer, the Messiah to make the oh so long awaited appearance. John the Baptist, as we know, was the forerunner to the Messiah. The herald of the redemption that was about to draw nigh.

This entire scene feels otherworldly and full of mystery. After 400 years of silence, a heavenly messenger appears to an aging priest as he prays at the altar in the holy place—and with that, the shift begins. A crack forms in the darkness, and light starts to break through. An ancient prophecy is awakening, and soon the whole world will feel its impact.

More than just words on a page, the Scriptures draw us into the mystery of God’s redeeming plan for creation—into His very heart—inviting us to stand in awe of His power, His wisdom, and His absolute Godness.