God Does Not Forget

Luke 1:13 – 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.

Zechariah the priest and his wife Elizabeth were an elderly godly couple. But they did not have children.

Zechariah had been chosen by lots to offer incense in the Holy Place. This was a tremendous privilege, one that came once in a life time. The offering of incense is often likened in the Bible to prayer. Zachariah as the priest must have used this opportunity to pray for the nation of Israel, which was occupied and oppressed by the hated Romans. He must have prayed that the promised Messiah would come soon.

 As Zachariah was offering the incense, the angel Gabriel stood before him declaring that in answer to his prayer his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son, who was to be called John. This must have come a surprise to Zachariah, who being old now, may have long given up on the hope of having a child, so even stopped praying for one. But God had not forgotten. God answered his personal prayer as part of the greater plan for God’s people.

We have all had times when we pray for something for a long, long time. The salvation of a spouse or child or for healing for a loved one who is chronically ill, or some other need. But over time, after years of praying, we may give up. But God does not forget. He works in ways we cannot understand, sometimes through miracles, for His Kingdom purposes. We are to continue to trust and serve Him faithfully.