There are many Old Testament prophesies about the coming Messiah. One that leads directly into our story is that of John the Baptist. He was born just prior to Jesus to the aged parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. His coming was foretold in Isaiah 40:3-4. His was to be a voice proclaiming the Messiah to come.

A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain. The poetic words of Isaiah tell of one that will be proclaiming and preparing the Israelites that were willing and ready to listen for the coming of Jesus.

John’s lineage was from the line of Aaron as his father was a priest. The story of John’s conception and birth was a miracle to this older couple. Luke 1:5-7 gives the beginning of their history.

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷ But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

These 2 servants of God did everything right. They followed God with their hearts and souls and they were observant doing what God commanded in their daily lives. In those days, being childless or barren was considered a curse from God. They might have felt that they were not doing as God desired for their lives, were sinning or perhaps they felt their ancestors had sinned. I’m sure they felt forgotten by God. However, it did not dampen their ardor or love for God. God knew their true hearts and their devotion to Him. Scripture sets the story straight that they had not sinned against God and were being punished by not having children but it was His timing for them to have a child in their old age. This sets them apart from others and makes the appearance of John, God’s messenger, all the more marvelous.

How often have you felt God is forgetting about you and your needs? Have you prayed fervently for your hearts desire and yet God seems not to hear. Perhaps, in your case as in that of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the timing is not yet right. God has a plan and His timing for events is always perfect. We do not see all the circumstances that surround our requests. We do not know all the people and things that are involved. Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed for a child and left the timing and the happening to God. They were blessed either way.

Take heart from the story of this godly couple and present your requests to God and then continue serving with all your heart and soul. God sees and God knows and God listens. Today’s truth about God’s is that His timing and ways are not our own and that requires us to TRUST Him with the details. God declared in Isaiah 55:8-9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.“

As the story unfolds we will see the great blessing that came to Zechariah and Elizabeth because of their willingness to wait upon the Lord.

Linda