You Should Absolutely Remember This When You Pray.

Luke 1:13 & 18 - But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, & your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, & you will give him the name John." … Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."  NASU 

• How God Answers Our Prayers 

One good thing for us to remember is how God answers our prayers.
 
He answers prayers with a Yes, No, or Wait a While.
 
He doesn't always answer our prayers immediately. Some times He has us wait for years for the answer as was the case with Zacharias and Elizabeth.
 
I am quite sure when they were much younger than they are in the above passage of scripture they had prayed to God and asked for their lives to be blessed with a child. We can see now that God said, "Okay, but you will have to wait."
 
The hard part is we don't audibly hear God say, "Okay, but you will have to wait." We interpret the waiting time as God having said, "No."
 
We are not told how long they waited. We are told Zach is an old man and Beth is well advanced in years. Usually people pray for children right after they get married when they are young.
 
We know Zacharias isn't 50 years of age because once a priest turned 50 years old he had to retire according to Numbers 8:23-25 - Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. 25 But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more. 

• When We Pray 

It is to our benefit if we will remember that God always answers our prayers but sometimes it's after a long delay. In other words the answer is "Yes" but not right now.
 
There is no doubt this can be frustrating if we allow it to be. The best thing we can do is remember that an all loving Heavenly Father is providing for us. I would like for you to read what Jesus said about our Heavenly Father:
 
Matt 7:7-11 - Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  9 "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?  10 "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!    NASU
 
We must remember God answers prayers according to His time table, which is always correct. Your prayer could be answered next week, next month or next year. It all depends on God's time table not ours.

I would say Zacharias and Elizabeth are getting their prayer answered that was prayed over 20 to 25 years ago.
 
Think On This:
 
God has never called us to Calm a Storm, but He has called us to be Calm during a Storm.

God has never asked us to Walk on Water, but He has asked us to Walk with Him.

Stay Pumped, 

Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

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