While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.’”
~ Luke 1:11-13
In Luke 1, Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were righteous in God’s eyes. They were careful to obey the Lord’s commandments. In other words, they seemingly “did all the right things” – they loved God, they read their Bible, they prayed… But, the Bible says they were unable to have kids, and they were getting older.
The Bible says that Zechariah is in the temple serving God one day, and an angel of the Lord shows up! The angel tells Zechariah, “Your prayer has been heard.” A Greek language specialist, William Barkley, translates that scripture from the original language to say, “The prayer that you no longer pray has been heard.”
Meaning, there are prayers that all of us have that maybe “we no longer pray” – perhaps we’ve given up and resolved in our hearts that “it will always be this way.” I want to encourage you today. The prayer you no longer pray has been heard! I’m praying for prodigal sons and daughters, prodigal moms and dads, prodigal friends, and coworkers this season. Invite someone to church this Sunday, and let’s love them back to life!
Today's Point of Prayer & Intercession:
Pray for your church family, your pastor, and the pastoral staff
Pray for your church’s finances and revival in next gen ministries
Pray for revival in your city, school, and workplace
As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. ~ 1 Samuel 12:23
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. ~ Acts 6:7
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ~ Matthew 17:20-21
The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. ~ Proverbs 15:29
After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. ~ Job 42:10
